Taming the Beast
by gamergirl104
Summary: Werewolves no longer existed...At least that's what history class told Mina. But it doesn't take long for her to discover the truth about the new group of prefects at Cross Academy. And to make matters worst, she's falling for one of them.
1. New Prefects

**This idea just popped into my head and I felt like writing it. Hope it's not too bad. **

**I don't own VK.**

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[Prologue]

Cross Academy was still pretty much the same after Yuki, Zero, and Kaname and his group left. Though the school was nearly torn apart, it was quickly rebuilt during the summer so that both humans and vampires could continue to attend. The two types of students were still separated into two classes – the Day Class (humans) and the Night Class (vampires). My name's Mina, and I'm part of the Night Class.

It had been almost two months since school had started and everything was pretty much the same even with group gone: throngs of screaming Day Class students still pushed over one another just to say 'hi' or get a glimpse at our class, and blood tablets were still required by the school for us to be taken regularly to suppress our thirst for blood. But it didn't take long for things to get out of hand. Without Kuran-senpai around, the Night Class was more difficult to control – running off after curfew and drinking blood. _I've already lost count of how many memories I've erased from stupid human girls from the Day Class who allowed vampires to drink their blood._ Chairman Cross began tightening the rules – _and he even cancelled St. Xocolatl's Day – _but even that wasn't enough. _Seriously, he was getting pissed. _Precautions had to be taken, and Night Class presidents weren't enough, so he needed to think of an alternative, something _effective_ to keep the Night Class out of trouble and the Day Class safe…His decision – new students that would be the new prefects of the Night Class.

XXX

It was almost seven and the sun was about to set. Kira, my best friend, and I stood with the others in front of the two large, oak doors waiting for them to open and walk to our first class of the evening.

She sighed and asked, "Do they never stop screaming? Are the guys in our class really worth all this trouble?"

A grin grew on my face, "It's because they've never actually lived with these jerks to know how idiotic they really are. Looks can be deceiving."

The doors began to open and one of the guys ran towards the opening to be the first to get out. But suddenly, the young vampire was thrust back and landed on the ground.

"What the hell was that?!" he yelled.

As the doors completely opened up, we saw standing before us five people – four guys and one girl – wearing the same Night Class uniform but with blue ties instead of the normal red. The five of them stared at our class with the humans roaring behind them. That's when I realized that the Day Class wasn't going crazy for us, not this time, but for the five strangers. Though they didn't look as _elegant_ as us vampires, each one of them possessed an attractiveness that couldn't be explained and they all gave off an unsettling aura, especially the one in the middle.

The guy standing in the center of the group moved closer towards us and placed his hands in his pockets. He scanned the class and then said firmly, "Night Class students, no contact with the Day Class, just make your way to the classrooms as quickly as possible. Teachers are tired of you being late."

The vampire that was pushed to the ground earlier jumped up and rushed towards him.

"What right do you have to order us around?! Who the hell are you guys?!"

"We're the new _prefects_ of the Night Class appointed by the chairman himself. If you have a problem, talk to him about it."

The man turned around without a second glance, and the prefects began rounding up the Day Class. They really didn't have much of a problem preventing the girls from chasing after someone in our class –_ because they were chasing after them now_. We walked pass the crowd of girls surrfounding the four guys and a mass of boys beating each other's heads just to welcome the girl.

Kira turned to me, "Looks like we got some competition."

I didn't say anything, but turned to look at her. She was beautiful without a doubt, but there was just something different about the five of them.

I was confused with the chairman's decision to appoint new prefects after Yuki and Zero had left. _What's the point? Can they really do anything to stop us from doing what we want? I mean who can stop us but a pureblood? And what's up with the blue ties?_

"Come on Mina, we're gonna pay the chairman a little visit."

I turned around and saw Riku - _he was the one that got pushed to the ground earlier._ He grabbed my arm and pulled me with him towards the administration office.

"Why are you dragging me with you, there're dozens of other people for you to take along?"

"Because you're one of the chairman's favorite students out of both classes."

_Are you serious?! I've already seen him a dozen times, trying to fix all the problems our class caused. God, Kaname! Why did you have to disappear all of a sudden?_

Riku slammed open the door and barged in, his hand still clutching my arm. The chairman sat in his overly-sized armchair behind his desk, holding a cup of steaming tea in front of his face. He looked up from his tea with a smile and greeted, "Well hello there Mina and Riku. How's everything going? Did you two receive a new pack of blood tablets yet?"

"Yeah, we got the pills," I quickly replied before Riku could open his big mouth without thinking first.

"Oh, good, good. So what do you two need?"

"We want to know why the _hell_ you didn't inform us that you appointed freakin' _nannies_ for us, and it's not just one or two, but FIVE?!"

Riku was already over-towering the chairman who sunk low into his armchair. The chairman gently pushed him aside to stop the enraged boy from breathing on him. He got up from the armchair and walked over to get some more tea. As he prepared his drink, he replied calmly, "I didn't want to trouble everyone. I mean, it really isn't that big of a deal. They're just there to watch over the two classes just like Yuki and Zero did before they left."

"I don't see why you always have to put authority over our class. Do you not _trust_ your own students?"

The chairman's smile immediately disappeared, and he looked up at Riku from his glasses and replied sternly, "No, I don't. Several of you guys have already brought me enough trouble with your misdemeanors, and I've received complaints from parents of both classes concerned about the way the school is currently being run…" Cross turned to me. "I just got off the phone with your father, Mina."

I flinched from the remark. _Oh god...daddy called the school?!_ "H-he did?! What did he say?"

"He's upset that you're not returning his phone calls. He says that he's found an appealing noble and wants to arrange a meeting between you two," the chairman answered with a slight grin.

_What the-?! -_-" Daddy just doesn't know when to give up. _I turned to look at Riku. He didn't say anything as he looked to the side with his arms crossed and his lip pinched up.

"And he's also concerned with my reasons for keeping the Night Class with the absence of a pureblood," he added. "That's why I've also placed the prefects in your class to watch over everyone."

"You mean they're not vampires?" I asked, running his remark through my mind one more time.

The chairman paused a bit and then replied, "Of course not. They're just like you." He smiled at me.

"_(sigh) _Anyways, isn't it nice to have some new students for a change? They're eager learners too. And you'd be surprised by how similar and different they are to you guys."

I noticed how the chairman emphasized the word 'different'.

"So, if that's all the questions that you have, I suggest that you two get to class now."

He walked back to his desk, sat down, and began looking over the paperwork before him.

"Come on," I said, tugging at Riku's sleeve.

I walked right behind him and was about to close the door until the chairman called, "Mina."

I turned around.

"It would be great if you would welcome the newcomers and sort of get them comfortable with the campus."

I flinched. "What?…Um, me?..." _Why would he ask me to do something like that?_

"Please?" he begged.

I really wanted to deny his request, but for some reason what came out of my mouth was the exact opposite.

"Alright," I replied.

_Alright?! What was I thinking?! Why in God's name did I even agree to do this?!_ I kept banging my head on the top of my desk.

"Are you okay, Mina?" Kira sat in the chair next to me as the teacher walked into the classroom.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" I replied sarcastically.

"Well, I copied down the notes that you missed in history class this evening. We started on a new unit. It's about werewolves, and it's actually quite interesting."

"They're _dead_. Why would they be interesting?" I said, not bothering to lift my head up.

"Oh come on, they're like shape-shifters."

"You mean _were_."

"_(sigh) _You know, you're so hard to entertain sometimes."

After I got over my whining, I relayed to her what happened this evening.

"I just can't believe the chairman wants me to do this. I mean, there're so many other students he could've asked. Does he really think I'm that sociable?"

"Oh come on. We all know that the reason he asked you to be nice was because you're his second favorite student, and since Yuki left, you were booted up to number one."

She smirked to herself.

"Sometimes I just wish that the myths are true, that I can just walk outside and burn myself under the sun."

I began to slide down my chair.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic…" she said, rolling her eyes.

The bell rang. The two of us walked out of the classroom and prepared to go to our separate classes.

"Since you already said okay, you should get started next period. One of them is bound to be in your class," suggested Kira.

"Yeah, I guess so," I replied, sulking my shoulders.

I walked into the class and didn't see any new students. I took my seat in the middle. Reaching for Kira's notes, I noticed an unfamiliar face pop into the room. It was the prefect that pushed Riku. _Man, he's actually 'really' cute!_

He walked up the stairs to the very back row, sat down and started reading. He had short, black hair and crystal blue eyes. He had broad shoulders, and though he was wearing a jacket, it was obvious that he was well built and firm. _What am I doing?! It's only been his first day of school and I'm already checking him out! This has never happened before. It's usually the other way around._

I quickly turned back around and started to read the first line of Kira's notes to stop looking at him.

"_The vampire's greatest enemy was the werewolf. These beasts were swift, powerful, and perceptive, but were also savage and easily enraged." _

After reading over the notes twice, I finally set them down and turned around again. He was just sitting there, casually, like he had been attending this school for years.

_Well, I guess I should go and introduce myself. _I got up and carefully approached him. I didn't know why, but for some reason, this weird feeling shot up my spine as I moved closer to him.

He didn't even look up at me when I stood right in front of him. I waited a little for him to take notice, but he didn't budge. Then I bent my head towards him and taking a deep breath I said courteously, "Uh, hi. You're one of the new students right? I'm Mina."

He looked up at me, his beautiful blue eyes meeting my hazelnut ones and then replied in a cold manner, "Do you always bother people when they're busy?"

_What the hell did he just say to me?!_

Before I could reply, the bell rang, and I watched him walk out the room, my mouth ajar from his response.

"Jerk," I said under my breath as I got my stuff and left for dinner.

I walked into the dinner hall and spotted Kira telling the chef what she wanted to eat. Taking a plate, I went over her.

"So did you meet anybody interesting?" she asked as I stood next to her.

"What would you like miss?" asked the chef.

"Um, some pasta would be nice, not too much basil leaves though. Thank you," I replied. Then I turned to Kira and answered, "Yes, the greatest asshole in this godforsaken shithole." _Just to let you know, I usually don't talk like this._

"Ah, it went that bad, huh?"

"All I did was go up to him and introduce myself. Then he said, 'Do you always bother people when they're busy?'…What the -"I restrained myself from finishing that sentence.

Kira started laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny?!" I could not understand this woman. "Am I humoring you?"

"Yes, you are – very much actually..."

The two of us took our food and sat at a nearby table.

"So what's the next move?" asked Kira taking a bite of her sushi.

"What?" I asked, calming down as I took a bite of my pasta.

"What are you gonna do next about the guy? I mean, you're going to see him again tomorrow."

"Nothing. I already did what the chairman asked of me."

"Mina, are you serious? He totally gave you the cold shoulder today. Come on, have some fun with this opportunity. Besides, the chairman told you to make them comfortable and I don't think what happened today made either of you two comfortable."

She was giving me one of her mischievous looks. She definitely had something planned, and all she was doing now was waiting for me to ask her about it.

I finally said, "Well... Do you have something in mind?"

She made an evil laugh, "Muahahaha…Of course I do!" She leaned over closer to me as if she was telling me a secret.

"Obviously he doesn't want to talk to you, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then make him talk to you! Force the words out of his mouth! Get all up in his face, like this!"

"But isn't that being a little─"

"Aggressive?! Demanding?! Exactly!"

Kira was getting extremely worked up and excited. She was nearly on top of the table, making me slide deeper into my seat.

"I thought you said that I had to make him 'comfortable'. Won't this make him feel worse?" I asked, gently pushing her down.

"But it'll be fun."

_I did not understand this women's reasonings at all...She confuses me so many times :S_

Riku and the others finally arrived at the table. Kira and I decided to drop the subject for now, so we ate our food and chatted with our friends.

XXX

The next evening, I walked up to the window, peeking out from the curtains. The sun had set. It was almost time for class. Looking in the mirror, already dressed in my uniform, I took a deep breath. _This is it. Gotta be aggressive…aggressive._

The dorm gates opened. The prefects were already in position, spread out among the Day Class.

Throughout the day, I kept thinking about what I was going to say to that jerk. Last period was next. I kept tapping my finger on the desk, getting a bit anxious. Finally, the bell rang. As I walked out of the door, Kira ran to my side and reminded me before running off to her class, "Be aggressive!"

I walked into the classroom and found him already sitting at the same desk. _Get up in his face!_ I walked to where he was and placed my books down next to his. He flinched when I sat down next to him. I didn't even say anything and started doing my homework. _What am I doing? Why am I not talking?_

He looked at me completely dumbfounded.

"Uh…what are you doing?" he asked.

"Doing my homework," I answered, casually.

He looked around the classroom.

"I know I'm new and all but you don't have to be so nice and everything. There are plenty of other seats in the room. You don't have─"

"I know I don't have to," I interrupted. I turned to him and then said, "Look, I promised the chairman that I'd be a good old sport and make you guys feel at home. You may not know, but when I make a promise, I always see it through."

_Whoa! What just happened to me? When did I ever get the courage to say something so straight forward like that? _Seeing that nothing he said would convince me otherwise, he decided to continue his reading and let me be. I looked up at him a few times during my work. His eyes never left the pages, and his face was always emotionless.

"If you want to say something to me, then just say it," he said suddenly still keeping his eyes on the words.

I winced a bit from his sudden comment. After writing several more words, I placed my pen down.

"You haven't even told me your name."

His stellar blue eyes suddenly looked up at me. _There's something different about his eyes. There's like a ring of silver around the black_..._I've never seen it in vampires before._ Then he said apathetically, "I'm Kai."

"Kai," I repeated to myself. "Is that short for something?

His eyes were back on the pages and he answered, "No."

_This guy really doesn't seem very friendly..._

I was relieved that I didn't really have to use Kira's plan of _force _to talk to him and make him say something. For the rest of the period, I tried to start conversations, but they never lasted more than three sentences. He usually replied with vague answers or avoided the questions completely.

When class ended, Kai was the first to grab his stuff and head out. _Was our conversation that awful? -_-" Hey, at least I tried, right?_

I made my way down the hall and to dinner. Kira was already sitting at the table with Riku and everyone else. I brought my lunch over and sat down with them. She nudged my arm.

"Sooo?…how'd it go?"

"Well…he talked."

"A lot or a little?" she asked curiously.

All I had to do was look at her and she knew.

"Oh…" She placed her chin in her hands. "Man, he's gonna be one hard egg to crack."

"Yup…" I agreed, putting a blood tablet in the glass cup and taking a sip. _And I'm determined to crack him..._

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**I know, nothing much happened. But I'm still thinking if I should continue. If you have any opinions, just let me know.**


	2. A New Friend

**I'm so sorry for the extremely late update. I've just been so busy with apps. I actually wrote the next two parts to see how it goes then I got an idea of what'll eventually happen and I think it's pretty good, so I'll probably continue. And I apologize for the beginning being kind of slow. **

**I don't own VK****

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**

I didn't get it. There was just something about Kai that was…_weird._ The feeling made me want to stay away from him, and yet, it attracted me just as much.

During the class exchange, I was going to greet him, but as soon as he saw me walk over, he pretended that he was busy and ran off. _Is he avoiding me?_ I waited for last period, but was disappointed to find that he never showed up. _Yup…he's definitely avoiding me. Unbelievable!_

I walked out of class and into the hallway. _Did I say something wrong yesterday to make him want to get away from me? Damn! Why do I always act so stupid around boys that I'm interested in?!_ I became so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't even notice the person in front of me and bumped into her. I dropped my books and saw that I had run into the girl prefect. It was the first time I looked at her face to face. The girl had a flawless visage, dark brown eyes, almost black, and brownish-red hair that rested along her back. She had long slender legs and a well-fit body. I bent down and started picking up the books on the floor.

"Sorry about that. I was thinking about something and I didn't see you…"

She replied lightheartedly, "It's fine, really."

She bent down and helped pick up my homework. We stood up and she handed me my stuff.

"I'm Naomi."

She reached out a hand to take mine. We shook and I introduced myself.

"I'm Mina."

She smiled at me. _She looks a lot more outgoing that Kai_.

"Are you going to dinner?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm starving," I replied, placing my hand over my stomach as it growled.

"Would you like to sit together?"

I was completely taken aback by her invitation._ I just met her. _

"Um…sure."

We walked together to get our food and then sat down at a nearby table, just the two of us. _What should I say?_

"So how's Cross Academy so far?" I asked. _Just great! The lamest question to ask a new student._

"Um…it's alright," she replied, looking at me drop a blood tablet into the glass. "So those are blood tablets, huh?"

"Yeah…didn't you get a pack when you came?" I asked.

Every vampire was suppose to have a pack. It was required by the school.

She looked at me blankly and then suddenly replied, "Oh yeah…I did. I already took mine in the morning." She started to eat her food. She looked at the other prefects across the room. I peered over my shoulder and saw them staring at us. She noticed me shift uncomfortably.

"Don't worry about them," she told me.

"I don't think they like the idea of me sitting with you," I said turning around.

"They're always like that." She continued eating her food. "They're just overprotective."

"Oh…"

After a few minutes, I looked back and saw that they were no longer staring.

"What are their names?" I asked her, not taking my eyes off of Kai.

"Well, the one on the far left is Akio. He's a 'know-it-all', seriously. And the one next to him is Katashi, my brother."

"Your brother?"

"Yeah. He likes to _play_ around a lot. The guy sitting at the far right is Yasuo. He's my boyfriend. He's the _peacemaker_ of the group. And the one in the middle is─"

"Kai…" I said.

I couldn't stop staring at him. Akio and Yasuo were talking eagerly as Katashi listened and laughed. But Kai, he wasn't laughing with them. He just sat there in the middle, with his cheek resting in his hand and playing with his food. I didn't think he was even listening.

"Yeah…how did you know?"

"Oh, well…he's in one of my classes."

"Oh…" she looked at me and then sort of smiled to herself. I didn't understand why.

"Kai's like the big brother of the group. He's the oldest and knows how to take care of everyone."

"I bet he does…" I said under my breath.

"So what about your friends?" she asked.

I bent my head to the side and saw them sitting at a table behind her. She turned around and looked at them as well.

"Well, I know all the Night Class students. But I've known Kira and Riku since we were kids. We hung out together and went to the same schools."

"Mmm…"

"They like to have _fun_. Kira isn't really that bad though. It's mostly Riku that drags her along."

"Are they a 'thing'?" she suddenly asked.

I smirked and answered, "Oh god, no. No way. They love each other, but not in that way. We see one another as family. You know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

She gave me a warm smile and took another bite of her meal.

As we talked, Kira walked over.

"Hey there Mina," she said, sitting between me and Naomi.

"Hi, I'm Kira," she said to Naomi.

"Naomi." She smiled at Kira and nodded.

"So you're one of our new 'nannies', huh?"

"What?" Naomi was not catching on to her joke.

Kira laughed to herself.

"I'm just kidding. That's just what Riku calls you guys. Don't worry about it…so you two getting to know each other?"

"Yes we are…and everyone else as well," she replied.

"Well, I hope you like it here. It's nice being able to go to a school with humans too, right?"

Naomi just smiled.

Kira then turned to me and asked, "So? How did it go?"

I just kept looking at my plate and shrugged my shoulders in response.

"Nothing really…I didn't even get a chance to talk to him today. He didn't come to class."

"What?!...So he wants to play it like that, huh?" Kira said to herself, putting a finger to her chin.

I could tell that she was thinking of another plan.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Naomi with curiosity.

"Ah, it's nothing really," answered Kira. "That _guy _over there avoided Mina the entire day." She was pointing at Kai.

"Come on Kira. He's a prefect. He was probably just patrolling the campus or something," I said.

"Yeah, whatever."

"What Mina? Are you interested in him?" asked Naomi with a playful grin.

I could've sworn that my face was starting to turn pink.

"What?...No….it's not like that…" I quickly said in reply. "It's just that the chairman wants me to be the 'welcome wagon' for you guys. So I just tried to talk to him during class and he kind of just shrunk away. Then today, he just didn't show up." I looked at the two of them. They both had a '…' expression going on.

"Oh god! Am I that _scary_ to talk to?" I finally asked, hiding my face in my hands.

"No, you're perfectly fine. I think it's just Kai. He's a bit shy," Naomi quickly assured.

"Yeah, you know how it is. The cuter they are, the shyer they are." Kira gave me a wink.

"Yeah…" I said to myself.

[3rd person POV]

The chairman assigned the five new prefects to live in the exchange students' dorm. The building was a two-story, bricked house. It had a garden in the front and a yard in the back. The inside looked larger than expected from the outside and it greatly resembled the aristocratic appearance of the Night Dorms. _Damn, they were lucky!_

Naomi reached the steps of the house. She knew that once she stepped inside, oppositions towards her actions today would start shooting at her. She opened the door and walked in. Surprisingly, there was nobody in the living room to _greet _her. "Phew!" she thought to herself.

She reached the stairs and was about to ascend when suddenly a voice from behind said, "Well you're finally home."

She recognized that voice ever since childhood, it was Kai. Naomi turned around and sure enough, he was standing there, leaning against the wall. He had his 'poker' face on.

"Yeah," she replied casually.

He started walking up the stairs towards her.

"I saw you sitting with _her _during dinner."

"Yeah, I know. You and the rest of the pack were drilling holes in her back with your stares," she said. "She's a nice girl. I don't understand why you're getting so worked up over her. She won't bite." Naomi had her arms crossed. Out of the pack, she was the only one that had absolutely no problem with questioning Kai.

"She's not one of us," he responded with a stern look.

"So?" she challenged. "Our elders always taught us to live peacefully with _all_ species…why is she any different?"

"It's not that…" He ran his hand through his hair.

"I don't get it. Why are you so hesitant?"

He didn't say anything but looked to the side. She took a breath.

"I know that the history that our two kinds shared wasn't the best. But that's the past. Everybody changes."

She placed her hand on his cheek, making him look at her.

"I don't regret meeting Mina. She's sweet, just like you. I want to have friends other than our kind. You should too. I mean, isn't that why all of us agreed to come in the first place?"

She turned around and began walking up the stairs. Almost at the top, she paused and turned around.

"She knows that you're avoiding her."

Kai flinched from her comment, but he didn't say anything.

"Just get to know her. You may find out that you like her…She _likes_ you." Naomi gave him a smile, then turned around and walked upstairs to her room.

He walked over to the couches and sat down. "She likes me? What? I thought she hated me," he thought to himself. "Girls are too complicated…"

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**I got the next part mostly done. Just need to make a few changes. Should be able to update soon....hopefully.**


	3. Getting to Know Each Other

**Wow, I didn't expect me saying that I'd update soon be THIS soon. But I guess that's a good thing. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

**I dont own VK.**

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[Mina's POV]

The dorm gate opened and the class walked out towards the classrooms. Naomi waved to Kira and I from a distance.

"Morning Mina, Kira," she called to us. The two of us waved back and continued towards the classrooms.

"Hey, I need to get something from Taki. I'll meet up with you in class," Kira said to me as she started to run off in the other direction.

I walked down the hallway, making my way to first period. For some odd reason, I started to think about Kai_. It's just like what Naomi said…I'm actually 'interested' in this guy. What's happening to me? _Once again, I was lost in my train of thought and collided into someone. I snapped back to reality and saw that Kai was standing in front of me. He had caught my books before they hit the ground.

"Kai," I said in surprise. My muscles instantly tightened when our gazes met.

"Good evening Mina." He handed me my books and then said in such a soothing tone that it made my entire body burn hot, "Be careful of where you're walking." He gave me one last glance and then walked down the hall.

I stood there in disbelief. _Did he just say 'hi' to me?! I thought he wanted to avoid me…_What happened bothered me throughout the rest of the day. _Why was I getting so worked up over a single guy? It's not like he's the only guy to say 'hi' to me…But then again, there was just something about Kai that made him stand out from the rest. _

Finally, last period came along. I entered the room and surprisingly, Kai sat at the far corner of the back row, reading._ He's not avoiding me anymore. That's good to know._

I was tempted to go and sit next to him, but maybe that was taking things a little too fast, so I took my original seat in the middle. I started reading a book until I noticed someone walk up next to me. I looked up and saw Kai looking at me. He shifted a bit and then said, scratching the back of his head, "Uh...Hi."

"Hi," I replied back, feeling a bit awkward.

"I…um…I'm sorry about earlier this week. I was a…I acted like a total uh...- "

"Ass?" I finished for him.

"Yeah."

My mouth was ajar and I scrunched my eyebrows. _I can't believe he's apologizing. _

"Oh…" I didn't know what to say. I was completely shocked. "Um…thank you for apologizing."

He turned to look around the classroom, still standing there. Then he faced me again and asked, "Can I sit next to you?"

_What in the world?! First he said 'hi' to me, then he said he was sorry, and now he wanted to sit next to me?! Is this the same guy from several days ago?!_ My forehead scrunched up even more.

"It's fine. I can sit somewhere else if you mind─"

"No! I don't." I smiled at him and moved my stuff so that he could sit down.

Both of us relaxed a bit more once he sat down. He was quiet, but talked whenever I said something. Seemed like things were going to be fine.

XXX

During dinners, I still sat with Kira and the others. Occasionally Naomi would join us. Kira and everybody, especially the boys, were mesmerized by her. It was funny to see the guys fight over each to see who would sit next to her. But unfortunately they didn't know that she was already taken. I was surprised to see how calm and completely trusting Yasuo was towards Naomi being around a bunch of these boys. _I guess once you're in a relationship long enough, you'll understand. _

It's been almost two months since Kai and the others arrived. We talked a lot…well, _I_ talked a lot. He mostly just sat there and listened, making a few comments here and there. Kai really wasn't much of a talker. _I wonder what he's thinking all the time._

[Some of our conversations…]

(Conversation 1: classroom)

Mina: [doodling on a piece of paper, then looks at Kai] What's your favorite color? [with a curious smile]

Kai: That's a stupid question. I'm not gonna answer. [not even looking at her]

Mina: Well if you don't tell me, then I'll have to guess it through my observations.

Kai: [not even listening]

Mina: [getting impatient, then thinks of something.] Ah! You love pink!

Kai: = = Blue

Mina: Figures.

Kai: Since I answered your question, could you stop asking for the rest of class?

Mina: Fine…[taps her pencil on the desk, getting bored already] What's your favorite cake?

Kai: [bangs his head on the desk] x x"

(Conversation 2: class exchange)

Mina: Hey, Kai! [walks up to him] What, you're not even gonna say 'hi'?

Kai: I'm…kinda…busy…Mina. [getting pulled and tugged on by Day Class admirers, while trying to restrain those that were going after others]

Mina: Well if you needed help, then all you had to do was ask. [clears her throat]

Hey! Day Class! That hot piece of ass is mine! So got your hands off him!!

[Day Class girls scared sh*%$less and shrinks away]

Kai: [completely amazed] °_°''' …[snaps out of amazement] Thanks.

Mina: [blushes] Aw, it's nothing.

Kai: Uh…you didn't really _mean_ it though, did you? [giving her a confused look]

Mina: [winces and feels embarrassed] Hahaha…of course not, dummy! It was just to help get those girls off you. What, are you kidding? We're just friends. [gives him a (pretty hard) pat on the arm…then, a brief moment of awkward silence] Well, I gotta get to class now…see you later [walks off]

Kai: [runs after her and gently grabs her hand] Mina!

Mina: [winces a bit from his touch and turns around]

Kai: Hi…[smiles at her]

Mina: [smiles back]…Hi...[turns around to walk to class, flushing red. then says to herself, still smiling] I did mean it.

(Conversation 3: study hall)

Kai: [looks up from his reading and notices Mina copying things down from a book] What are you doing?

Mina: Just copying some recipes down for the holiday. I wanna make some deserts.

Kai: [turns back to his book] Oh…I like deserts.

Mina: [looks at him] Really? I didn't know you liked sweets.

Kai: Well I never said that I didn't.

Mina: No, you did. Remember? I asked you about cakes about two weeks ago? And you said, and I quote: [in a manly voice] "Why are you asking me so many stupid questions? I don't even like anything sweet." [grins at him as if making her point]

Kai: [trying to think of something to say] Well…that's…because I was annoyed by your questions, so the only way to stop you from annoying me was to say that.

Mina: …Uh huh…[looks at her notes, then at him] So you want some?

Kai: What?

Mina: Brownies, cookies, whatever…

Kai: [raises his eyebrows in unexpectedness] Well…uh…you know…you're busy and all. [sticks his hand into his hair]

Mina: [turns back to her notes] Yup, that's a 'yes'.

Kai: [sort of turns red from embarrassment]

Mina: [finishes copying recipe and closes book…turns to him] Am I really that annoying? [suddenly realizes that she was being 'annoying' now] Oops…sorry. Yeah, I am.

Kai: No, it's not like that.

Mina: [gives him the look]

Kai: Well…at first it was kinda annoying, but I'm not the talkative type, so you shouldn't listen to me. [hopes that what he said would make her feel better, but it doesn't]

Mina: [takes out a piece of paper to start doodling on]

Kai: [feels stupid of what he said…turns back to reading]

[working in silence]

Kai: [stops reading] Honestly, I like it.

Mina: [stops writing and turns to him] What? You like me being _annoying_?

Kai: Yeah

Mina: But that doesn't even make sense.

Kai: I got use to it. Now, it just feels…_right_ when I hear you talk. It actually feels weird if you don't. [gives a small smile]

Mina: Really? [quite delighted]

Kai: Really. [he turns back to his reading]

Mina: [she looks at her notes, smiling to herself] Sooo…do you like chocolate chip or peanut butter?

Kai: -_-+

Mina: ^_^

It was the first day of December and freezing. I still couldn't believe how Kai and his buddies were able to endure such cold weather with just a blazer. I warmed my hands at the fireplace before I stepped out of the dorms to leave for class. The past several days were extremely strange. I couldn't stop staring at him during dinners or whenever he was on patrol. And during class, I would even pretend to accidentally do something just so the two of us would touch each other. But what was even more ridiculous was that every time I stared at him, I'd look at his body and imagine all the muscles underneath his uniform and eventually, I'd end up completely absorbed by how appealing the vein on his neck looked. I pinched my hand to try to snap myself out of these thoughts and took some blood tablets to satiate myself. _Vampires usually didn't have cravings like these unless it was...No. I'm not gonna say it because it's not happening. I'm NOT in love with Kai nor was I falling for him! We're just good friends…aren't we?_

During last period, I noticed how Kai acted a bit out of the ordinary. His movements were stiff and hesitant, and he appeared to look a bit drained. He had his head on his desk and was dead asleep. He even skipped his shift of patrolling for the morning. _Why was he so tired? _I gently poked him on the shoulder. He didn't budge. I looked at his hands folded on top of each other, resting on the desk. My fingers began to twitch as my hand started reaching over for his. _You know you shouldn't....I know! But...I just want to try it. _Tingles shot through my fingertips when our skins made contact. His skin was so warm that it made my stomach twist. My hand was still on his when his eyes flicked open. He took notice of my hand and quickly jerked his away. I could feel my face burn red from embarrassment and looked the other way.

"Hey, uh... are-are you feeling okay?" I quickly asked, breaking the awkwardness. "You-" I couldn't say another word when I finally looked up and saw Kai's eyes. There weren't the same as before: a tinge of silver outlined the pupil. "Kai...your eyes..."

He turned around and started rubbing them. "I'm okay. They're just a little dry."

"It's not just your eyes. Your entire appearance looks exhausted...How many hours of sleep did you get?" _And dry eyes, doesn't cause your eyes to look like that! I've never seen such a thing in vampires._

He ran his hands through his hair, messing it up. "It's Wednesday."

"Oh my god...You can't even think right. Kai, you need to get some sleep right after class. Even vampires need rest."

He smirked and simply responded, "I'll be okay. Some coffee will be enough."

The two of us got up when the bell rang and made our way towards the exit. Busy rubbing his eyes, Kai didn't even notice when he started walking off center and eventually hit the wall.

"Jesus Christ! Damn door!" Even when he hit his nose, he was still rubbing his eyes. _He has to know why his eyes are like that. Why else would he be so preoccupied with them?_

"Kai, stop. You need to get some sleep."

"I told you...it's nothing. Caffine is all I need."

"No! No coffee. You're going to sleep whether you like it or not. You got that?"

I could see that he wasn't even processing my words. It went in through one ear and came out from the other. "Come on," I said, taking him by the sleeve. I literally had to drag him back to their place. And all that time, I could feel my heart race inside my chest, knowing that my fingers were only centimeters from touching his again. We finally stopped in front of the gate to the prefects' house.

"Well, we're here." I turned to look at him. His short black hair was sticking up in every direction after being pulled and tugged at for the entire day.

He looked over towards the forest and could barely see the rim of the sun rising up from the canopy. "You should head back. Day classes will be starting soon."

"I will, after you promise me that you'll get some sleep." He knew that I wasn't going to leave without him answering 'yes'.

His pink lips curled into a small weak smile, replacing part of his exhausting composure with a sense of warmth and energy. "Alright. I promise."

"Good," I replied, with a satisfied grin. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

I took a few steps down the path that we came from and was about to turn in the direction leading to the Moon Dorm when my feet stopped in their position. My ears were relieved by what they heard but my mind wasn't. I turned back around to his place. The only thing there was the house. _Did he already go inside? That was fast. But I didn't hear the door._ I walked back up towards the house. _If he didn't go inside, where could he have gone? _Then the answer came up when I turned to face the trees leading into the woods. Their branches and leaves rustled as the wind blew over them. "The trees are always whispering," I muttered to myself. "All you have to do is listen." Without another word, I entered the darkness of nature, knowing for sure that Kai would be there.

Even with the sun partially out, the forest was still dark. I already lost count of how many times I stepped on something squishy or moving along the ground. I'd been walking straight for the past five minutes and was completely lost. Even after being on this campus for several years, I had never stepped foot into the trees. Brushing away the branch sticking out in front of me, I suddenly tripped and landed on the damp grass. I looked at my foot and noticed something relatively familiar next to it. It was a white jacket - of the Night Class uniform to be exact. I easily took notice of Kai's scent from the clothing. _What's his blazer doing on the ground?_ I got up and continued down the forest. It didn't take long for me to find his vest, tie, shoes, shirt, and pants. _What in the world? Is he stripping?! _Curiosity and questions kept filling up my mind. After a few more minutes, I could hear the sound of water splashing. _A stream or something must be nearby. _So I followed the noise and what I saw when I finally reached the origin was something that I would never forget even to this day. Kai's blazer slipped from my grasp. My eyes were wide open and cold sweat slowly dripped along my back. An enormously large black figure stood in front of me at a distance. I was so overwhelmed with disbelief that the only thing thing that I took notice of was the color of itseyes...They were blue. All sense of certainty instantly disappeared. My mouth uttered that one word that was left spinning in my mind, "Werewolf."

* * *

**This one was a bit longer than before. But that was because I really wanted to fit the last part into it. Hope you enjoyed it. I still have to see what happens next, so update won't be as fast as this one was. **


	4. Shopping!

**I know, I know. Super slow update. Sorry, but hey, at least I'm still posted this. Enjoy**

**I don't own VK.  
**

* * *

_What do I do?! Do I scream? Do I run? Do I fight? _I slowly moved my foot back, thinking that running was probably the best choice at the moment. I flinched when the crackle of a snapping twig pierced the silence. My heart felt like it was pounding through my chest. I looked up to make sure that the figure was still there. _Tell me…what do you do when you meet something almost eleven feet tall, standing on two legs, covered in fur with ridiculously sharp teeth and claws? _

It jerked its head in my direction, its gaze literally piercing right through me. Without even thinking, I turned around and ran in the direction that I came from. Trees and bushes were passing by me and the sound of water quickly faded away. I knew I shouldn't have, but I couldn't resist. My legs didn't stop moving, even when I turned my head around and looked over my shoulder. I could see the darkness close the path behind me. My foot tripped over the root of a tree and I fell forward. I had my hands over my face, preparing myself for the hard impact. But there was none. I spread my fingers apart and saw that my face was several feet from hitting the grass. There was something warm around my waist. I looked down and saw an arm clasped around my stomach and felt a hand gently touch my back, supporting me as it helped me into a standing position.

"Mina, are you okay?"

I turned around and found Kai standing before me. My mouth was ajar and my mind utterly lost. He looked...normal. He was dressed and everything was in place: tie tied around his neck, belt buckled around his waist, shirt was tucked in, and even his vest was buttoned all the way. He had his blazer hanging over his arm. _That's impossible._

"Mina?" he repeated, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I shifted my gaze at him. What struck me even more was when I noticed how the silver in his eyes were gone. His eyes were beautifully blue and the exhaustion that hung over him completely disappeared.

He tilted his head to the side a bit, seeing the still awe-stricken expression on my face. "Mina," he said firmly instead of asking. "What are you doing wandering in the forest?"

"I-I was…" My hands gripped on tighter to the end of my sleeves. "I should be asking you the same thing," I suddenly said. "You promised that you'd get some sleep."

He opened his mouth to say something but then thought for a moment before he actually did. "I was about to…but then I saw you wander in here and I thought it was weird that you did."

"_You_ came into the forest first, which was why I followed after you," I clarified.

"No I didn't," he instantly denied.

"Yes you did. I turn my back for one minute and you were already gone – "

"That's because I went inside the house."

"I didn't hear the door…"

I noticed him grind his teeth together as he realized that I wasn't buying any of the bullshit that he was telling me. "Alright, fine. I wanted to get some air before I went to bed."

"A walk? That's it? Then why'd you just lie a few seconds ago?"

"Cause I promised you that I'd go straight to bed and I didn't want to hear you start lecturing me. But I guess it didn't work because here you are lecturing me."

He said this with such a straight face that it was so hard not to believe him. He started walking back towards the house.

"Wait!" I ran up to him and took him by the arm. He wasn't getting off the hook that easy. "_What_ was it that I just saw back there?" I was finally able to ask, staring back at him intently.

"I don't know what it was that you saw. All I saw was you running really fast and then I caught you before you hit the ground. If I'm not mistaken, you should thank me for preventing you from falling flat down on your face and most likely getting your uniform dirty," he responded coldly. It was amazing how Kai could switch his mood so fast, from being kind and gentle to completely cold and indifferent.

"You're being a real ass right now, you know? I found your clothes on the ground. And whatever it was that I saw there, it had blue eyes, just like you."

His expression didn't change at all. It was still as emotionless as ever. "I'm sorry…but are you saying that you think that what you saw was me?" He didn't even wait for my reply before he started laughing to himself.

"I don't _think_, I _know_! It was you," I stammered back. _God, I feel like a child right now!_

He stopped laughing and then leaned slightly down towards me and said "Really?...Well then, prove it."

I watched as he just turned around and made his way up to the house and walked inside. _What the hell was that? He's acting just like he was when we first met…even worse, actually. He's deliberately trying to push me out of his business. Dammit! _

By the time I got back to my room, Kira was already asleep. After changing for bed, I walked over to my desk. My notes were all sprawled over the surface. One word immediately caught my attention. I took the piece of paper from underneath all the others and read the several underlined phrases. "Lycanthropes, commonly known as werewolves, were powerful monsters….Swift and capable of overtaking any vampire…superior in physical strength…but driven by emotions… Werewolves have been extinct for the past 700 years. " _Extinct? I just saw one today! How can they be extinct?_ I set my notes down and sat on the corner of my bed. _Maybe it wasn't a werewolf…maybe it was something else. I mean come on, how could people cover up such a thing for all these years? _I pulled the covers to my chin but my eyes refused to remain shut. _But then again, the chairman and the counsel have been able to conceal our existence from humans all this time. Maybe they're doing the same to us…_

_-Flashback- _

_[Third person POV]_

"_Tea?" the chairman asked._

"_No thank you. I'm fine." Kai looked at the books on the shelf, running his finger over each title._

_ "Can you believe it? It's been nearly twenty years since I last saw you, Kaito."_

"_It's Kai. I'm not my father," he replied coolly. _

"_But you are his son." _

"_Was…"_

_ The chairman didn't reply back, but quietly sipped his tea. _

_ "Well, I'm delighted to hear that several of you will be attending Cross Academy. It's always been my dream to promote pacifism between vampires and humans, and now werewolves as well."_

_ Kai didn't respond immediately, but walked over to the picture frame sitting on the counter next to the bookshelf. _

_ "Hopefully with your arrival, the class will be better controlled," the chairman added, taking another sip._

_ "I don't get why you just won't shut the whole class down, if they're causing so much problems." _

_ "I told you, I want to bring about peace between our kinds. By removing the Night Class, I'd be taking away an opportunity for the vampires that also share the same views."_

_ "You really think it's going to work, don't you?" he asked, picking up the picture. "Even after what happened…the school being invaded by class Es and nearly torn apart even with a pureblood around?" He was looking at the little girl in the photo. She had reddish-brown eyes and dark brown hair._

_ "I have hope," the chairman said confidently. "With this school, we were able to take a step forward into bringing the two species together. Even though we took that step back again, I still believe that it's possible. And I'm hoping that with the five of you, this school can soon become a home to your kind as well."_

_ Kai didn't say anything. He walked over to the desk. "So when do we start?"_

_ Chairman Cross smiled. "Next week. You'll have your own place to stay and your uniforms will be in your rooms along with your schedule and textbooks. I'll relay your prefect duties the day before."_

"_Ichiro also informed me that you asked for our existence to be kept secret."_

_ "Yes. It is for the same reason why we've kept the Night Class' identity unknown to the Day Class all this time – to prevent panic and conflict."_

_ Kai smirked to himself. "Seems like everybody has a secret here." Then he turned to the Chairman, "If that's all then, I'll see you in a few days with the others." He turned around and walked over to the door. _

"_Kai."_

_ He turned around._

_ "Your parents and I were close. But I didn't get the news until recently. I'm sorry about what happened," he said with condolence. _

_ Kai looked at the floor, his expression as emotionless as before. "Yeah, me too." He gently closed the door behind him once he walked out. _

_-End of flashback- _

"Mina…"

I felt something nudge my arm.

"Get up already! You're gonna be late if you don't hurry up." _It's Kira…Why does she always wake up so early. _"Get your ass up!" I felt a sudden cold breeze hit my skin when she pulled the covers right off me. "Hurry and go wash up. You're dad's waiting on the phone."

"What?! Daddy?!" My body snapped up in an upright position.

"Oh, so now you get up," Kira muttered to herself, tying the red ribbon around her neck.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned, stretching away the stiffness in my limbs.

"Hi, daddy," I said to the receiver as I walked inside the bathroom.

"Mina, you haven't been returning my calls," he responded in a stern tone.

"Yeah I did," I took the toothbrush out of my mouth, "Last week, remember?"

"I called you Monday and the day after that AND the day after that – "

"Alright, fine. I've been busy," I interrupted, rolling my eyes.

"Really?" he said, not believing me. _Daddy's always been overly concerned. _"Anyways, enough jabbering. I just came to tell you that I've arranged another session."

"What?? Daddy, come on. You already heard about what happened with the other guy! And you even promised that there'd be no more until next year."

"But this one's good. He's charming, brilliant, and comes from a very respected bloodline. And both his father and his mother are well-known members of the vampire counsel in England."

"What's the family called?"

"The Ibaraki's."

_What in the world?! I don't even know how to spell that…_ "Nope, never heard of them. Guess they're not _that_ well-known," I commented.

"_sigh…_Why do you have to be so difficult?" _Yup, daddy's gonna go into his lecture mode if I don't do something fast._

"Fine. I'll come home this weekend."

"Good. You're mother misses you terribly."

"Yeah, I know…Daddy, I have to go now, else I'll be late for class."

Kira was grinning at me when I hung up the phone.

"What?"

"Nothing," she replied, still smiling and shaking her head. "I just can't wait to see the look on that sucker's face when you attempt to sabotage your own blind date."

I couldn't resist laughing. "I'm going to make that noble wish he never even met my father in the first place."

"Ooo, vicious but so entertaining," added Kira.

I grabbed my books and we walked down the hall.

"Honestly though, Mina, will you ever consider a guy?"

"Never if it's arranged by my father, but if it's anybody else. I don't know."

"What? Nobles aren't good enough for you?"

"Vampire men in general just aren't good enough for me," I clarified.

"Oh my god," she stopped walking, "Don't tell me you're into humans now?" Her eyes were wide open and staring at me. I've never seen her so serious before.

"You can breathe, Kira. I'm not checking out humans. They're not my type."

She took a _huge_ breath of relief. "Wow. For a moment you scared me there."

I just smiled to myself. "I just haven't found the right guy yet."

"The right guy? So what is the right guy for Mina?"

"Um…I'd say – "

"Short black hair, broad shoulders, and crystal blue eyes?"

I turned to her. "Wow, you really narrowed it down." Kira's hand reached up to my cheek and pushed it to make me face forward. "Oh," was all that came out of my mouth when I looked down at the living room from the top of the stairs.

Kai looked up at us and straightened up from sitting on the armrest. He had his hands in his pockets and his normal apathetic expression. Kira and I walked down the stairs and stopped in front of him.

"Hi," he said shyly.

"Uh, hi," I replied, brushing my hair back.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna go first," added Kira, quickly following the others out the door.

"What're you doing here?" I asked.

His eyes strayed left and right. "I just wanted to apologize about this morning. I was a bit rude."

_Oh my god! First he blows me off and then apologizes. Then he gives me the cold shoulder again and now, he's apologizing…again! _

"Oh, um…okay." I walked around him and towards the door.

"Hey!" He took me by the arm. "What was that?"

"Excuse me?" I looked at him a bit confused.

"I just apologized."

"I know. I heard you."

"But aren't you suppose to be all like 'oh, thank you for apologizing'? Instead, you just said, 'okay'."

"Yeah. 'Okay' as in 'okay I accept your apology'." I opened the door but he closed it shut.

"That doesn't sound like you've forgiven me."

"Kai, seriously, I'm going to be late."

"I'm not letting you go to class until you say it," he clarified, staring straight at me.

"Fine…Thank you for apologizing. I feel _so_ much better now." Not even giving a second for him to speak, I jerked open the door and walked out.

"What do I have to do to make it up to you?" He called out, following after me.

"Nothing. Everything's fine." I kept walking. He suddenly jumped in front of me.

"I'll do anything," he begged.

"Why do want my forgiveness so badly anyways?"

He looked down at the ground and kicked at a pebble with his foot. "I-I don't know. I just do."

I thought for a moment and then finally said, "Alright…I'm planning to go shopping for the holidays this weekend. We'll call it even if you go with me."

He smirked to himself. "You're asking a _guy_ to go shopping?"

"You'd be very valuable in carrying my stuff," I replied with a small grin. "So? You don't have to come if you don't want to."

He stuck his hand into his hair and started scratching his head. "Fine," was his final answer.

"Alright. See you Friday night."

_He agreed…wow. I didn't think that he would. And how come I feel so excited all of a sudden?_ I couldn't stop thinking about what happened this evening. Trying to concentrate in class was like murder, and I don't remember how many times I embarrassed myself by saying the wrong answers when the professors called on me. But with all the negatives surrounding me today, Friday evening would definitely make up for all of it.

I joined Kira and Naomi for dinner in the hall.

"So?? What happened?" asked Kira before I even sat down.

Naomi also looked up at me from her eating.

"Nothing really," I answered, placing the napkin on my lap.

"Mina, you've never been really good at lying to me. So let's save both of us the trouble and just tell us what Kai wanted to see you for."

"So that's why he was late for the shift," Naomi said to herself.

"He just wanted to tell me something. It's nothing _mushy_ so it won't interest you," I replied.

"Oh..." Kira said, sounding a bit disappointed by the lack of drama.

"And I asked him to go shopping with me for the weekend," I added in a quieter voice.

Kira nearly choked on her fry and Naomi immediately spat out her water.

"What?!" the two exclaimed in complete disbelief.

"What? It's the holidays. Maybe he wants to get some stuff for his friends too."

"Mina Kobayashi, did you just ask Kai out on a 'date'?!" asked Kira, excited.

"What?! Come on, we're friends," I quickly replied. My face started to feel hot.

"So?!" she said, trying to get me to confess.

"What did he say?!" asked Naomi eagerly.

"Yes…" _Dammit…maybe I shouldn't have mentioned this to them._

The two girls in front of me immediately started laughing.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! Our little Mina is growing up," teased Kira.

I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Wow, I would never have expected this…" added Naomi.

"Hey Mina," Kira started, "You said he's going with you this weekend. Aren't you suppose to go home?"

"Oh shit! I totally forgot!" I slapped my hands over my face.

"I guess you could reschedule with Kai," suggested Naomi.

_I finally got this guy to go out with me. But now, I'm in deep shit. Am I willing to piss off my father so much just so I can go on this one date that probably won't even mean anything to the guy?...My answer – Hell yes!_

"Well, daddy does want me to go on a date with a guy _AND_ Kai _is_ a guy, sooo…I guess that counts, right?"

Kira and Naomi started laughing to themselves. I ignored the two as they talked frantically about how _cute_ I was acting about the whole thing and what would happen that night. _And trust me, it was pretty disturbing…_I turned around and saw Kai, sitting at the table with the other guys. He was smiling at whatever Katashi was saying. My heart felt warm and my stomach fluttered. _What is this feeling? _I turned back around and saw that Naomi was looking at me as Kira was talking to her. She just smiled and turned her attention back to Kira.

[3rd person POV]

The five prefects sat in the living room by the fireplace. Akio was reading a book about statistics and probability _[of course _= =_]_. Katashi leaned against the fireplace, daydreaming about girls _[what else _-_-+_]_. Naomi sat on the couch, reading a shopping magazine _[the women's Bible] _and Yasuo next to her, apparently taking a short nap _[zzz]_. Kai sat in the armchair, staring at nothing _[…]_.

"Kai, are you okay?" asked Akio, sitting in the chair across from him.

"I'm fine," he answered, still staring aimlessly.

"You seemed really distracted during classes today."

Katashi turned to Kai and Yasuo sat up. "I'm fine," he said again and stood up and walked upstairs.

"Was it wrong of me to ask?" Akio asked confused, looking at the others.

Naomi was still reading her magazine, not even looking at them.

"He's perfectly fine…he's just overexcited for his upcoming little date," she said, flipping the page.

"What?!" Katashi and Akio ran to her side, and Yasuo immediately turned to her.

"He's going Christmas shopping with Mina on Friday night. He just doesn't know how to express his excitement."

"You mean the girl that you always sit with during dinner?" asked Akio.

"How come he didn't tell us?" inquired Katashi.

"Wait a minute, she asked 'him'…and he said 'yes'?" questioned Yasuo, trying to understand clearly.

"Yep…." answered Naomi, turning the page again.

"Wow…." Yasuo leaned back against the couch. "Who would've thought?"

"Should we follow them?" asked Akio eagerly.

"Of course not!" exclaimed Naomi suddenly, and she smacked him on the head with the magazine. "This is the first time Kai's doing something like this, and I don't want idiots like you guys to mess things up!" She got up and walked over to where Kai was sitting and took the notepad he left behind. Then she walked upstairs.

"Why do I always say the wrong things?" asked Akio, rubbing the small bump on his head.

The other two shrugged their shoulders and returned back to their business with the thoughts of Kai going shopping swirling in their minds.

Naomi walked to Kai's door and knocked. The door opened and Kai stood there.

"Can I help you with something?"

"So why did you say 'yes'?" asked Naomi with a grin on her face.

"Huh?"

"Come on, Kai…you don't 'do' shopping…so why did you agree to go?" she restated.

"We're just friends and she wanted a guy to help hold her stuff while she shopped," he replied.

"Really?" she challenged sarcastically. "She's really going to buy _that_ much stuff?" she asked, eyeing him doubtfully.

"I don't know. Why does it even matter? She just asked." He turned around and closed the door.

Naomi stopped the door from shutting and walked inside. She placed her hands on her waist. "She asked because you came to her first."

He turned to her surprised by how she knew.

"Mina told me that you wanted to tell her something. So what was it? What did you want to tell her?"

"Is it any of your business?" he said getting a bit annoyed. "I just went to apologize for something that I said."

"Hold on a sec. You went to apologize about something that you said?" Naomi started combing her hair with her fingers. "You never do that. Unless – Oh my god…You like her, don't you?" she asked, giving him a playful smile.

"What?" Kai felt the hairs on his arms stand up.

"Oh come on, is it true? Do you have a crush on her?" she walked closer to him.

"No," he replied coldly. "I don't _like _her. I just like her...as a friend…Now, could you please leave? I'm kind of tired."

"Alright, fine," she shook her head and smiled to herself as she walked out the room.

Kai sat on his bed, his hands on the back of his head. _She's right. I could've said no. I should've. But why didn't I? Why do I care so much about how she feels about me that I'm willing to do something that I don't even really enjoy? It's not love. It can't be. I refuse to believe that.  
_


	5. History's Contradictions

**First of all, I would like to apologize for all who have been waiting for me to update this story all this time. I should've said something earlier about my "pause" on this story. But I realized that I couldn't write two stories at once, so I focused on the other one first. Now, that one is finally complete, and I can take the time to begin where I left off on this one. I don't know how often I will be able to update for this story. So don't be expecting regular updates, but I'll do my best. Anyways...here's the next chapter. Please enjoy.**

**I don't own VK.

* * *

**

"No."

"Yes."

"No!" he reaffirmed, "There's no way you're making me go in there!"

Mina hooked him by the arm. "You promised to come shopping with me and THIS is part of the shopping, so let's go."

Kai took one last look at the sign in front of the shop before she led him inside.

"Welcome. We have a special discount on corsets. May I assist you in any way?" the store lady said politely, approaching the two of them.

"Oh, we're fine. I'm just looking around," Mina replied with a sweet smile.

The woman watched her as she walked to the push-up bras section, and then turned her attention to Kai, who was holding about five or six bags of all sizes in each hands.

"Sigh…" Kai rolled his eyes from left to right and finally up at the ceiling. He could feel his face flush red as he tried not to stare at one _particular_ place for too long. _WHY did I say 'yes'?_

"I think it's very sweet of you."

"Huh?" He turned to look at the woman smiling at him. "Excuse me?"

"I've seen so many ladies who come into this store by themselves because their husbands or boyfriends are too shy to come in." Her smile was still there. "But even though you're the opposite gender, you still accompanied her in. and that takes guts." She gave him a wink, and Kai felt his cheeks burn even hotter. "She's really lucky to have such a sweet young man such as you."

Kai suddenly jerked his head in her direction. "Um…" He looked at her then at Mina, feeling every muscle in his body contract and every joint turn stiff. "Um…we're not together…her and I. We're…"

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry," she apologized, "Please excuse me."

[Kai's POV]

I watched as the store lady walked over to Mina. My muscles began to relax, and my joints could move once again, but my chest still felt tight, and I could literally hear my heart still pounding. It felt like a fur ball was literally stuck in my throat. _I can't believe she thought that she and I were…a couple. I mean, do we even look like one? _ I walked over to the counter and placed all the bags on the ground. My eyes followed Mina as she paced back and forth, trying to decide on several types of bras. Suddenly, thoughts of her wearing them entered my mind. "Stop! What the hell are you doing?" I slapped my hands against my head. "Don't think about such things! You're being a pervert!" I thought to myself. My hands ran through my hair then wiped over my face. I opened my eyes and saw Mina standing in front of me, looking at me skeptically.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm fine," I replied, nodding my head.

"Here, can you hold this for me?" She handed me her purse and coat. "I'm gonna' go try this on."

I looked to the side, trying not to stare at the black bra in her hand. "T-take your time," I said. _I don't get why they're so many types. There should just be one kind, that way girls don't have to go through the trouble of trying on a bunch…And guys don't have to go head over heels when they see a girl wearing one. _

I took her stuff and walked over to sit on the couch in the middle of the fitting room. _So why'd you say 'yes'? Dammit! I can't get the question out of my head. _I rubbed the side of my temple.

"Hey, Kai, is that you?" Mina suddenly called from the other side of the curtain.

"Uh, yeah."

"Could you swap this to a bigger size? Like about thirty." The bra shot out from the other side. I reached my hand up to catch it before it hit the ground.

(a few seconds later)…

"Here." I looked to the other side as I reached my hand into the curtain to hand it to her. The ecstatic feel of her skin against mine shot through my nerves when our hands touched.

"Are you okay?" I heard her ask. I turned to face her and saw that her hand was still holding onto mine with her head peering out from behind the curtain, revealing her entire arm and part of her shoulder. She gave me another inquiring look as my face burned bright red. Before I could even think, my hand jerked away from underneath hers. The bra fell onto the ground and I scrambled down to get it.

"Oh my god! I'm-I uh-," the words were fumbling through my mouth as I was still overwhelmed with embarrassment. I quickly stood back up and held the bra up to her with my head turned facing the opposite direction. "Here…I'm s-sorry," I apologized, biting the corner of my mouth.

She smirked to herself from my response, placing her hand over her mouth trying to conceal her grin. She didn't make any comments concerning my behavior but took the bra and closed the curtain to change.

I ran both my hands through my hair as I took a deep breath. "Can I humiliate myself any more than I already have?" I mumbled to myself.

xxx

[Mina's POV]

_You know how HARD it was to refrain myself from chuckling this entire night? God, it was like having blood dripping in front of me. He was SOOO cute – the way he blushed, how he messed up his hair whenever he was nervous…I can feel goosebumps everywhere as I'm thinking about this. Just the thought of how embarrassed he was when he stared at me from the other side of the curtain. _I rubbed my cheeks, trying to get them to revert back to my normal skin color before I see him again.

The two of us walked out of the store and made our way down the road on the sidewalk. I glanced over at him, his hands holding onto several bags and pinning several underneath his arms while mine fell along the side of my body, swinging back and forth precariously. He was _very_ quiet, having not said a word since I came out of the dressing room in the store. _Is he THAT embarrassed?_

"You want to buy anything for anyone?" I asked, desperately wanting to break the silence between us.

"No," he simply replied.

_What's with him and laconic phrases? Can't he see that I'm trying to start a conversation? _

"But it's the holidays…You don't want to give anything to _anyone_?" I asked back. Obviously there was _someone_ on his mind, since he didn't immediately reply back. _Who can it be? _

He took a deep breath and then began, "The others and I…we don't really celebrate with gifts…cause, well…we buy things for each other all the time, sooo….there's nothing really special about exchanging gifts during Christmas."

"So what _do_ you guys do instead of opening gifts?"

"Dinner," he responded with only _one_ corner of his mouth curled up.

_Dinner? Isn't that something that everybody else does as well?_

"Naomi likes the feeling of being together…as a family," he added, "Which is why she makes a big deal of dinner that night being especially…_satisfying._"

_Oooh… I guess we all view the holidays differently. My parents don't celebrate Christmas anymore. They say that it's always been the same even after a few hundred years and that it becoms 'dull'. So I really don't know what it's like spending Christmas as a family. _

"What about you?" he suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"Is Christmas all about the presents to you?"

I looked down at my feet as they walked along the ground, putting some thought into his question.

"No," I answered. "It isn't all about the presents."

There was an old man sitting at the corner of the coffee shop we were approaching. He sat there with rags spread out on the snow, and his arms wrapped around himself, trying to stay warm. Kai walked by, not even laying one glance on him. I stopped and stood in front of the man, looking at his dirt-stained clothes, his unshaven face, and dirty fingernails. I went through my purse and took out my wallet. Then I ran up to Kai and reached my hand into the bag under one of his arms.

"What is it?" he said.

I fumbled through the bag and then went back to the man. His baggy eyes looked up at me as I bent down and held the box of sugar cookies out to him with an envelope at the top.

I stared back at the man, my gaze not faltering one bit. Then I said to him with a smile, "Merry Christmas." His mouth was ajar upon hearing what I said. He didn't reach out to take the gift, instead, he just stared back at me in complete disbelief as if it was all a joke and that I'd instantly snatch everything away once he just touch it. When he saw that I didn't budge, his hand reached from underneath his quilt, shaking a bit and hesitant. I was still smiling when he finally just _touched_ the box and then took it from my grasp. Kai was also staring at me with his mouth open when I walked back.

"Let's go," I said to him, as if nothing unusual happened.

_It is true. It's not 'all' about the presents. I don't need to explain to him what I think. I think he gets the picture…Besides, why did he think I bought so many boxes of sweets in the first place? _

[Third person POV]

Mina uncovered her watch from under her sleeve. It was almost midnight and surprisingly, the street was still crowded with people.

"Can you believe it? It's late and everybody's still out," she said, fascinated by the matter. "Kai?" She turned around when there was no reply, and saw that he had stopped walking several feet behind her.

He gripped tighter onto the bags as he looked among the traffic of people on his left and then to his right. He glossed over each of the stores and restaurants surrounding him, but he just couldn't pin down where the scent was coming from.

"You okay?" Mina asked, concerned with his frustrated complexion.

He looked to see her standing by him, waiting for his answer. Then he spotted her hand on his arm. Strange, how he didn't notice it when she touched him.

"I'm…fine," he finally said with such uncertainty. "Let's go." He motioned for her to continue walking.

She didn't think too much of his awkward behavior and listened. They didn't even make it down the block before she noticed how much faster they were walking.

"Um…are you sure everything's alright?" she asked, trying to keep up with him as they maneuvered through all the pedestrians.

"Everything's fine, Mina. Just keep walking. It's getting late," he responded, keeping his gaze fixed in front of him.

She stared at him from the back as he just kept walking. _What's going on? Why is he so tense? _She suddenly felt something prick several of her nerves, sending a jolt through her entire body. She jerked her head back to look behind her to see what it was, but there was nothing in particular, just humans walking by.

"That was…strange…" she thought to herself. She started walking again before she looked in front of her and smacked into something extremely firm. She looked up at him puzzled by his abrupt stop and then moved over to face him.

"Kai, why'd you-" She stopped talking once she saw the tenseness in his eyes and how he was completely ignoring her at the moment. _What the hell is it that he's staring at?_

She turned around to look in the same direction that he was staring. There were two men at the far end of the sidewalk. The one on the left had long coal-colored hair tied into a ponytail, while the other's long hair was dark orange, almost brown, and barely touched his shoulders. They looked older than Kai – probably around their mid to late twenties – and wore large black trench coats with standing collars. The two of them stood their ground in the dead center of the crowd, staring back at them…or at Kai, to be precise.

"Kai…" she began, mesmerized by the aura they gave out. "Do…do you know them?" She couldn't explain it, but for some reason, the two strangers gave off that same appeal that Kai and the others did, but theirs…theirs was a bit different…it was a lot _darker_. "Kai-"

He suddenly took her hand and dragged her into the café on their right. Then he propped her into a chair and set all the bags on the ground. He looked up and saw the bewildered expression on Mina's face.

"We've been walking for a while. Why don't you get something to drink and rest for a bit before we head back," he said in a completely relaxed composure.

"Kai, what's going on?" she directly asked back, disregarding his failed attempt to make everything _appear_ fine. He was staring back at her but said nothing. Though his complexion didn't show it, his stiff movements gave him away. Obviously things were _not_ fine.

"Stay here," he said firmly with an absolute certainty that she would obey. Then he walked out of the small café and disappeared out of sight.

By the time he got out of the café, the two men were nowhere in sight. He looked from one end of the street to the other. _Where are they?_ His shoulders relaxed a little and he took a deep breath. Their scents were strong even though they weren't seen. He casually made his way further down the sidewalk, finally stopping in front of an alley about two blocks away. The walls of the two apartment buildings were so close together that he could barely fit through. Darkness surrounded him when he finally came through, but the scent was infused with the atmosphere there.

"I'm surprised to see you two alive," he said, once his eyes adjusted to the dark. "I thought I buried you deep enough to make sure you'd never crawl back out."

The dark-haired one stood up from sitting on a trashcan, appearing slightly taller than Kai.

"If you're going to bury dogs, might as well bury them dead. That way they won't be able to claw their way through," he replied with sly grin.

"What're you doing here, Akai?" Kai asked, glancing over at the other leaning against the cracked brick wall.

"Visiting," he replied, clapping his hands together. "We heard that there were several excellent restaurants nearby…and a small private school right outside town." He began eyeing Kai in a strange manner. "Attended by humans and supposedly _vampires._ What is it called again, Kuro?"

The man's dark-orange hair stood out from the darkness surrounding them. He straightened up from leaning against the wall and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Cross Academy."

Kai's composure didn't falter upon hearing the name; he didn't even respond. Akai brushed his coat aside, placing his hand into his pocket.

"There was even a rumor back at home about a small batch of _puppies_ that've started attending the school," he added with his head tilted to the side, looking at him from a crooked angle. "And from what I've seen just a moment ago, I assume it's you."

Kai looked down at the ground, nodding his head. Then he replied, looking back up, "I'm glad to see that you still have a sense of observation."

"But sadly to say you've lost your sense of judgment," Akai snapped back, no longer grinning. "What you and your pack are doing is an _abomination _to our species."

"Hiding and killing vampires, aren't going to get us anywhere."

"And schooling with them will?" he said raising his voice.

"It's a start," Kai said getting slightly impatient.

"You and your pack…you all haven't changed one bit, still the ones seeking for that idealistic future of approval and _peace_…never willing to shed some blood."

"Unlike yours – impulsive and driven by instinct." Then Kai raised an eyebrow and asked, "Haven't you ever thought that maybe that was the reason why they all died off one by one?"

The mention of such a tragedy made Akai's nerves twitch. He desperately tried to suppress the anger pulsing through every inch of his body. "Bastard," he muttered under his breath.

"It was your _preaching_ of yielding to our instincts that caused your entire pack to do what they did and in the end suffer the consequences."

"They did what they were meant to do, eradicating those filthy monsters like what they've been doing to us all these years!" Kuro interrupted.

"Funny how you say that…You call them monsters, and yet we're the ones that turn into them."

"You never appreciated what you were, the gift that your parents passed on to you," Akai spat out.

"This _gift_ is nothing but a nightmare. And both of them have seen to that end." He placed his hands into his pockets. "You should've also learned the same thing when the two of you killed that family."

Before Kuro even took a step, Akai lunged after Kai, who dodged his attack.

"There were women…children, and you still slaughtered them like cattle," he continued, disregarding the fact that he was angering them even more.

"They got in the way!" Kuro stammered.

"But they were human…and innocent!" Kai retorted back. "You two were the ones acting like _monsters_ that night."

At that moment both of them charged after him, throwing Kai to the end of the alley. He landed on his feet and looked up to see Kuro jerk off his coat as Akai, already shirtless, dug his nails into his face, tearing off his skin to reveal the charcoal-colored fur underneath.

"You still haven't learned," Kai said, watching as the two of them slowly approached him, their skins falling onto the ground and turning to dust along with pieces of their clothing being stretched and ripped as their limbs grew and their bone structures altered. Once his snout was completely formed, Akai instantly lunged after him, but missed once he leaped up and onto the dumpster next to them.

"Why do you so willingly obey the urge?" Kai asked, knowing that neither of them was capable of answering. Kuro thrust himself over Akai, attempting to corner Kai, but he sprang into the air, kicking off against the brick wall then landing several meters behind them. "You think it makes you stronger, but all it does is blind you."

"Fools," he thought to himself, standing there watching the two of them scramble up to their feet and futilely charging or thrashing their claws at him as he evaded every one of their attacks. "This is why I don't want to turn if I don't need to," he thought, "I don't want to lose my sanity." He looked up and suddenly noticed one of them about to land and tackle him to the ground. He jumped to the side and then noticed the other standing still in his place. Akai turned around, facing the direction leading out of the alley. His saliva dripped down onto his fur as he took several sniffs of the air, seemingly taking notice of an unusual scent. Kuro stood up on his hind legs and also looked in the same direction.

_What is it? _Kai turned his attention to the entrance to the alley. His knees instantly stiffened, and his arms refused to move. Even his lungs were struggling to breathe in the oxygen. His eyes were fixed on Mina, standing in front of the three of them, completely still. _Shit!_

[Mina's POV]

I…I didn't know what to think, let alone what to do. _Werewolves are EXTINCT. They don't exist anymore!....But if that's true, what're those two "things" standing just several meters in front of me?_ The two towered over one another, almost blocking Kai completely out of sight. It was so silent as we all just stood there motionless. I could feel the muscles along my jaw begin to twitch as I was about to open my mouth and call out to him, but before a single word could even spill out, the darker beast charged after me with extreme speed that I have never seen in any vampire before. I was petrified but still able to move my body. Preparing to jump to the side, I stopped when the werewolf was suddenly thrown to the very end of the alley enclosed in the shadows. And out of nowhere, Kai appeared in front of me.

"I told you stay at the café," he said in an angry tone never heard before.

I couldn't even process his words. I stared into the darkness and then up at him with my heart pounding so fast. My mouth was half open and I couldn't move a muscle. "What…" The words just wouldn't come out.

His eyes were then overcome with worry when he saw the confusion and disbelief I wore on my face. He was about to reach his hand up to me but suddenly turned around and shoved me to the side before both monsters smashed him into the wall of the apartment next to us.

I got up and stared into the abyss made in the brick wall.

"Kai?" I whispered.

I was about to move closer, when one of the monsters suddenly flew out of the hole, ramming into the dumpster and debris on the other side; the other followed close by, smashing onto the emergency escape on the side of the building and then crashing onto the ground. I looked at the two of them lying on their backs slightly unconscious but still moving. Then I turned my attention back to the hole in the wall, and I felt my blood vessels run cold and my heart shrink deeper into my chest, once "it" stepped out. It emerged from inside the hole, standing on two legs – long, black fur and silver eyes that could penetrate souls. _Is it him?..._

"Kai?" I choked out.

Its dark fur completely blended with the shadows that I couldn't even tell how large it really was. Once I took a step forward, it snarled and charged at me. I shielded myself, knowing that I wasn't able to evade the attack, but instead, it leaped over me, landing directly on top of the one with dark-orange fur, which had already gotten back up on its feet. Nothing could be seen once they were enveloped by the shadows, but I could feel the ground quake as they threw each other down. I turned around, remembering that we were in an alley in town – possible of being spotted by any passer-by. _The humans can't see this! It's too dangerous! _I then ran down the narrow path and was half-way there when the other werewolf landed right in front of me. It crawled on its hands, its claws scraping against the ground as it slowly moved closer to me, revealing its teeth with both blood and saliva oozing down. _I don't know what to do….For the first time in so long…I DON'T KNOW what to do! I'm scared… _

_Is this it? Am I actually going to die? _I kept telling myself 'yes' when I had no idea as to whether or not that was even true. I wish I could retell exactly what happened during those thirty seconds, but I didn't remember. All that I could recall from that exact moment was that with one powerful kick against the ground, the beast lunged towards me, its arms extended all the way out, prepared to sink its claws into my flesh, and then the next minute, there was another huge hole in the wall. I stared at the opening and then turned around, spotting the first dark-orange werewolf lying on the ground in a puddle of blood among a pile of debris. Turning my attention back to the hole, I covered my mouth and nose with one hand to limit myself from breathing in the blood-tainted air and wave away all the dust with the other. As the dust began to clear, a dark figure could be seen moving around and finally getting up. _Is it Kai?_ Suddenly, two silver orbs shined in the darkness and approached me. Its broad chest heaved up and down as it breathed heavily, trying to calm itself. My body flinched when it dropped what looked like to be the snout of the dark-colored werewolf, completely torn off, onto the ground. When I looked back up at it, I noticed how its eyes gradually changed to a crystal blue that was so familiar and so calming to see. My mouth opened to say the name, but stopped when I took notice of the blood stained on the black fur lying still against his muscles and seeping through from under his hand over his neck. Upon reaction, my hands covered the bottom part of my face again where my nose and mouth was, trying to block out the irresistible aroma of his blood. It smelled far more tantalizing than that of the other two. Now I was for certain. _This_ was Kai's blood, and I was staring at him this very moment, not as a human or a vampire, but something completely different…Something that we all thought no longer exist…a werewolf.

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**Just wanna say thanks to those that read up to here and were waiting so long. **


	6. Just Forget It

**Shorter but enjoy.**

**I don't own VK.**

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[Mina's POV]

"NO!" I screamed, snapping up from my bed, with my hair sprawled on my face and cold sweat on my back.

"What the hell?" I heard a familiar voice exclaim.

The room suddenly lit and Kira stared at me from the switch on the wall. A pain began to throb in my chest every time I took a breath. Flashes of two silver orbs and dripping snouts and blood-stained fur ran through my mind. Then I looked around the room, finally taking notice of my surroundings and my attire. Somehow I was changed into shorts and a tank top._ How…_I tried to think back to what happened earlier, but all I could remember was a black figure with pointed ears and bloodcurdling silver eyes.

Kira brought her hand to my cheek. "Mina…you're cold…"

I stuck my hand into my hair, clutching onto it. "How…how did…"

"Kai brought you back early in the morning."

_Kai?..._A sudden image of a wolf-like monster with the same blue eyes came into mind at the mention of his name.

"He said you were exhausted from shopping and fell asleep at the café," she continued."

_Café?...No…That didn't happen._

"He carried you all the way back…It was very sweet of him," she said, trailing off as her thoughts started to get carried away.

I brushed my hair back. _Kai? Something's not right…something happened, but I don't remember all of it, only bits and pieces. _I looked over at my desk and saw all my shopping bags on the floor next to it. My clothes from the night were neatly folded on the table. I got up and walked over to them with Kira continuing to stare blankly at me. The clothes still smelled of crushed coffee beans from the café and vanilla extract from the sweets store down town. I opened up the shirt and held it out in front of me. There was a red dot on the bottom corner of it. I brought the blood stain up to my mouth and barely pressed my tongue to it. It was only a smudge, and yet the extravagant taste it provided for my taste buds was so irresistible and compelling.

"Mina-"

"Werewolf," I suddenly said, turning around. My eyes were wide open and my mind was completely awake.

"Did you just say _werewolf_?" she asked, looking at me bemused.

I didn't respond but turned back around and stared out at the window into the sky, bringing the shirt back to my mouth. _This is his blood…I remember._

xxx

_How am I going to confront him about last night?_ _Was it even real…or did I somehow imagine the entire thing, and the stain of blood was from something else? _I pulled at the two ends, tightening the ribbon. Kira and I sat along the side, waiting for the doors to open.

I could tell that she wanted to speak to me but didn't know what to say. My behavior this morning was worrying her, but at the moment…I could only think about _him._ Once the doors instantly opened, I stood up and walked out, anticipating my meeting with him and yet, uncertain about it. He was at the very end closest to the classrooms. My mind was set on him. I completely disregarded anyone else around me, including Naomi, who just waved to me when I walked past her. _I'll have to apologize to her later for my rudeness…_He looked up and saw me coming towards him, but he didn't budge, not even flinch. His expression was as emotionless as ever – no hint of surprise, worry, or excitement…just…nothing. When I was close enough, the first thing I turned my attention to was his neck. It appeared…_fine?_ _It was such a deep wound…How could it have healed without leaving a single mark? _

"Can I help you with something?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Last night," I began. _What am I even gonna' say?_ "Last night…was it real?"

"Of course it was," he replied without any second thoughts. "How else did you think you got all your shopping done?"

_No…he's doing it again…Avoiding the truth._ "That's not what I'm talking about," I said trying to look him in the eye as I desperately suppressed that ounce of fear that kept resurfacing. I saw that my comment caught him off guard once he clenched his jaw and twitched his eyebrow.

"What-"

"JUST…Just forget about it," he interrupted. He was giving me that same look before, as if I was crazy and oblivious of what I was saying. _Why does he always undermine me like this? _

"No! You _have_ to tell me the truth, or else…" _Oh my god…Am I doubting myself? Am I really going crazy? _

"You're a werewolf, aren't you?" I bluntly asked. _No more hesitation. I have to know. Was it real or not? _

He kept his gaze on me and took a deep breath, but I could tell that he wasn't planning on answering my question. Before I could even think of what to say next, Katashi called to Kai. I turned my head to see him standing with Akio a good distance away, waiting for him to walk over. Then I turned back to face him. He was no longer looking at me but off to the side.

"Werewolves don't exist...Now, if you'll excuse me," he said in such a cold manner, "I have to get back to work." He didn't even glance up at me one last time and just walked away.

_Dammit! Does he really think that he can blow me off like this again? I WILL get my answer, even if I have to force it out of him. _

xxx

[Third person POV]

Kai watched as the others unknowingly went to their classes without him. He walked over to the lamp post, placing his hand on it for support and tugged against his collar. After a few more moments, he adjusted his tie and then made his way towards the classrooms. He came to an abrupt stop once Mina suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Excuse me, but you're in the way," he said indifferently, casting a look down onto her.

"You and I need to talk," she responded, standing firm in her position.

"_I_ need to get to class as well as you." He waited for her to step aside, but she didn't. He took a deep breath and then said sternly, "Move."

When she still didn't, he attempted to move around her but she intervened each time, preventing him from even moving one inch further. Mina could see how her small actions were provoking him immensely.

"What do you want?" he finally said, getting irritated by her naiveness.

"I want you to tell me the truth."

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

She pushed her hand against his chest to stop him from walking forward.

"Yes, you do! Stop avoiding the issue, please," she begged.

He stared back at her, trying to appear annoyed to attempt to hide his anxiety. Then he took her by the wrist and led her into an empty classroom nearby. Once he shut the door, he said, "What do I have to do to make you forget about last night?"

"Forget about last night? I don't _want_ to forget about last night! How can I forget about something like that?" she quickly responded.

He had his back facing her and wiped his hand over his face and then ran his fingers through his hair. "I broke the rule," he whispered.

"Broke the rule? Kai, what're you talking about? What rule?" She took several steps closer to him.

He started shaking his head. "I shouldn't have, but I did."

"Kai!" She grabbed his arm. "What're you talking about? You're not making any sense."

He jerked his head in her direction and stared at her hand on his sleeve. His forehead scrunched together, and he removed his arm from her grasp in such a stiff manner as if she was diseased in some way.

"What's wrong?" she asked, confused by his sudden change in behavior.

But her attention was diverted when she noticed a small beige-colored smudge along the brim of his left collar.

"Why do you have makeup-" And that was when she noticed the irregular deformity of his skin camouflaged by a flesh-toned layer.

Kai's façade finally collapsed when she stared straight at his neck. She was about to bring her hand up but he backed away and reached for the door, refusing to look at her.

"Please, Mina…Do both of us a favor and just forget about everything," he said firmly, but the fear in his voice still found its way through.

[Mina's POV]

I wanted to call after him but couldn't. _Did I actually saw what I just "saw"? How can I be sure? I don't even know what it was…All I know is that whatever it was, it MUST have something to do with last night and Kai is desperately trying to keep people from seeing it. _I looked up at the clock in the back of the room and then opened the door. _And did you see his reaction when I took his arm? Is there something wrong with me…or him?_

xxx

I carelessly dropped my books onto the ground and sat on the second step of the stairs. "Where did he go?" I thought to myself as I combed through my hair. Kai never showed up to class. I lingered around the halls a bit in between classes in hopes that I might run into him, but I never did. I leaned back and rested my elbows on the third step. _I feel like the two of us are always at odds, and yet, we always come back for each other. Why? _I shook my head and sat up. _No! It's NOT what I think it is, or…is it? _

I looked up to see the other students file pass me. _Dinner…I'm not even hungry. I'll just go back to my room. _Once I stood up, someone lightly tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw Naomi wearing a satisfied grin. _What's she so happy about?_

"How was your date?" she asked.

"It wasn't a date," I said, taking my books.

"Oh come on. It was a date and you know it." The two of us began following the flow of students down the hall.

"Kai looked like he had a good time, and he doesn't like shopping," she added.

"Really?" I suddenly said. _Did he actually say that? _She nodded her head in response. "Did Kai…" _Should I even ask?_ "Did he _look_ any different…when he came back?" I watched her reaction carefully. She raised an eyebrow, appearing to be _pondering_ on the matter then shook her head.

"No…" she trailed off. "He looked the same."

And that was when I caught it - her eyes strayed to the left once she said that. _She's lying. _

"Why? Was he suppose to look different?" she asked.

"No," I replied, finally noticing that I had walked with her all the way to the dining hall, rather than back to the dorm. She turned to me when I stopped at the entrance to the hall.

"You're not coming?"

"I'm…I'm not hungry."

She gave me a skeptical look and then said, "Okay…I'll see you tomorrow then." Then she smiled and went to join the others. _She's not telling me something, and she knows that I know. _

xxx

[Third person POV]

Kai opened the door and, unsurprisingly, saw Naomi standing in front of him.

"She remembers," she immediately said. She turned her head slightly when he didn't say anything. "You never erased her memories in the first place, did you?"

"I forgot to," he answered.

"No," she shook her head and looked at him suspiciously. Then her eyes suddenly grew wider. "You never intended to."

"What're you talking about?"

She had already tuned him out as her thoughts took over. "Oh my god…This isn't like you. You're not following the very procedures that you laid out."

"You're still not gonna' admit that you like her?" she said looking up at him.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I DO NOT like her," he said firmly. "Like I said, I forgot to erase her memory. That's all."

"…sigh…Whatever…" Naomi crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at him, knowing that he'd rather be an ass than admit to being wrong. "How was your day?" she asked, purposely changing the subject.

"What the hell do you think?"

"Yeah…you're right. I wouldn't be too happy if I had to stay here all day. It gets boring…But hey, at least she's still breathing. Looks like you were able to add a little _twist_ to your date with her, right?"

The door slammed in front of her face once she finished that sentence. "Why is he always so cranky? Can't he take a joke?" she thought to herself. She turned around and began walking in the opposite direction towards her room. A smile formed on her lips until she finally couldn't resist and smirked to herself, "He totally likes her."


	7. Happy Holidays

**I don't own VK.**

* * *

[Mina's POV]

My bag slipped from my hands onto the ground. My books dropped onto the desk, and I sat down on the edge of my bed, staring at the wall. _Why did I even say 'yes'?_

_-Flashback-_

"You're really quiet today," Kira finally commented, unable to cope with pretending that everything was going "perfectly" fine these past few days.

I poked at the broccoli with my fork one last time and then set the silverware down on my plate. "I'm just tired."

"Sooo…were you also tired yesterday and the day before that, AND the day before that? Mina, if you're gonna lie at least put a little more effort into it."n her hands were neatly placed over each other on the table. "It's about _him_, isn't it?"

"Why is it that every time I seem a _little_ upset you think that he's involved?" I asked back, sounding exasperated by her upbringing of the subject.

"Because it's _always_ about him…You haven't even muttered his name for the last few days. You _always_ mention him at least once every day. So…_obviously_ something happened."

I turned to look at everyone else, actively chatting with each other. Then I stared down at my plate, still packed with food. "He hasn't been coming to class," I finally said.

"You mind telling me something I don't know?"

I thought for a moment before I spoke. "Is…is he avoiding me again?" My attention instantly turned to Naomi making her way towards out table. "Never mind," added, "Naomi's coming."

"Oh good. You can ask her then."

"No!" I grabbed her hand before she could turn around and call to her.

"Just keep this between us, please?"

She rolled her eyes at me and sighed, then said to me, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Mina. You and I were just sitting here, chatting about _thermodynamics_…"

I took a sigh of relief and leaned back against my chair.

"Still enjoying the in-between patrols around campus?" Kira's grin resurfaced back onto her lips.

"Of course. I just love all the screaming and shoving that comes with it," Naomi replied, filling each word with every bit of sarcasm she could. "Any places for the holidays?" she asked, the sarcasm replaced with her usual sincerity.

"Heading back to see the folks," Kira responded without much enthusiasm.

"You, Mina?"

I shook my head. "Nothing…Mom and dad are busy."

"They don't even have time to sit down just once?"

I shook my head again. Naomi was quite baffled by my response. But my thoughts swapped back to Kai. _He's a werewolf…Me, Kira, everybody…we've all been fooled like idiots watching a stupid magician make a lion disappear. Our parents, this school…Chairman Cross...they've all been lying to us. But why? Naomi…I bet she and the others are just like him…_

"Why don't you celebrate with us?"

"Huh?" I had tuned myself out for too long to remember what we were originally discussing.

"That's a great idea! Mina, you should go," Kira exclaimed, seeming so much more excited than I was. _I don't even know what we're talking about…_

"Go where?"

"Dinner at our place…on campus that is."

"You're not going home?"

"We live too far to just go and stay for a few days. It takes almost two days just get there…So we're staying at the academy. Come and join us for the night. It'll be gun."

_Join them? Does that include Kai? Of course it does…_ "I don't know…I…don't want to impose."

"Not at all," she quickly assured.

I remained hesitant to agree.

"Oh come on, Mina. Kai will be there," Kira teased.

I gave her a quick glare. _She totally did that on purpose…_

"You don't even need to help," Naomi added, "All you have to do is come." Her smile grew even bigger. _How can I deny such a face?_

I drew a deep breath and smiled back to hide my uncertainty. "Okay."

_-End of flashback-_

"Why, why, WHY?" I groaned burying my face into my pillow.

"Because you _love_ him…"

_I do not!_ I didn't even hear the door open. "If it wasn't for you, sitting there-"

"Me?" Kira interrupted. She took off her jacket and tossed it onto her bed. "You're the one that said "o-kay.""

I didn't argue back and pulled the covers over me. Though I couldn't see her,I could feel her standing at the end of my bed, arms crossed with a pleased grin hanging on her mouth.

"I have a good feeling about this," I heard her say, "You'll thank me when I see you after break."

_Will I?_

xxx

"I don't think this is a good idea." I refused to let go of the doorknob even when I felt tendons attaching my arm to my shoulder stretch to their limits as Naomi continued to try and jerk me loose.

"Come…on!...Every thing's prepared….And…You're…already dressed!" Naomi lost her footing and slammed backwards against the wall of the girl's corridor.

Once free, my hand joined the other on the knob, securely fastening its grip.

"Give me _one_ good reason why not?" Naomi was _not_ happy. Her arms were crossed against her bosom and she was neither smiling nor frowning. _She's giving me that look that Kai always gives me! Do each of them have that same…poker face? _I could see from her deep steady breaths that she was trying her best to not yell at me and my ridiculous – not to mention _childish_ – behavior.

"I…" I started. "I'm just worried that I'll make the entire event awkward for everyone."

"Is that all?" she responded, her arms uncrossing and her complexion, stupefied by such a "small" issue.

I steadied my gaze on her and gave a small nod. Surprisingly, she started laughing to herself.

"Honestly, Mina…you over-think _way_ too much at times. Everything's going to be okay. I mean, you already got Kai to talk to you, and…he's the hardest to get to. Compared to him, the others are nothing. Other than their death-dealing stares, they're quite outgoing." She then brought her hand up to me. "I promise you'll come out of dinner befriended…and alive."

I forced a grin that was barely recognizable after that last line. _Alive? Do they usually eat their dinner guests then? What kind of shit have I gotten myself into? _I reluctantly released my hold on the door and took her hand. The two of us made our way from the Moon Dorm to the guest manor located at the front of the forest that encircled the campus. The rim of the sun was visible on top of the canopy of trees, illuminating the large two-story house. The last time I was on their grounds was when I followed Kai into the forest. I still remembered the red bricks that covered the outside and the garden of rosebushes in front of the patio that stood out of the front. "It seems too _welcoming_ for someone like Kai to live in," I thought to myself, looking up at the windows occupying the second floor. We made it to the two large white doors. I immediately took notice of the meticulous carvings of wolves that bordered the doorway and the bronze door knockers shaped after a wolf's head on each door. _It's like this house was customized for them…as if wolves have always been a part of this school. _Without knocking, Naomi opened the door and waltzed right in, not letting go of my hand. _Well…this is it...the house of wolves. _

"We're here," she called out upon entering.

"You've got to be kidding me," I quietly muttered to myself. I came to their home, expecting it to look no different than ours – modeled after the usual aristocratic style that the rest of the school was. But it wasn't like that, not at all. The inside was furnished in a much more modernized fashion. Rather than have a fireplace in the living room, a flat-screen was the center of attention around the couches. There were no overly-sized, old-fashioned wooden clocks but bizarre artistic time pieces hanging on the walls. There was even an entire wall that was more like a mirror, separating the living room and kitchen. But the interior, at the very least, still retained bits and pieces of the worlds past, displaying various paintings of historical value from around the globe, greatly contrasting with the "fashionable" yet _cold_ feel produced by everything else.

My eyes followed the paintings that lined from the top floor all the way along down to the first. It wasn't until then that I noticed Akio in the living room, getting up from the armchair in front of the television. He set his book down and approached us in the most refined manner that I have ever seen before. His neat short hair resembled a grayish-black flame and his auburn eyes appeared both dignified and intelligent. His hands were tucked behind his back and he gave a slight bow before speaking.

"It's a great pleasure to finally be formally introduced to you. My name is Akio."

"Is the whole "act of royalty" really necessary?" Naomi commented to the side.

"Um…" I was quite speechless. _This is the first time I've heard him speak._ "H-hi, I'm Mina." I brought my hand to his which was extended halfway to take mine. Thankfully before his lips came in contact with my skin, a hand suddenly slapped onto Akio's shoulder.

"She's only stepped foot in this house for bout a minute and you're already makin' your first move." Katashi jerked Akio towards him, making it appear as if he was simply just giving him a friendly embrace. "That's usually my job, isn't it, sis?" he added, throwing an innocent grin in our direction.

"Mina, this is Katashi, my little brother, unfortunately," she introduced, trying to fight back her laughter.

I couldn't explain it, but after all the awes and introductions, I found their company to be very…_relaxing_. Though I've only met three out of the five of the pack, the expected awkwardness of first meetings never surfaced. _Hopefully, it won't ever for the rest of the morning…and I don't see Kai anywhere…Please don't tell me that he's going to try and avoid me even on such an event…_

"Where's Yasuo?" Naomi finally asked.

"Where else would he be?" her brother cheerfully replied. "He's preparing the feast for tonight."

_What? Yasuo…cooking? _The aroma of baked bread and roasted chicken fumed the entire house from the moment I stepped in…But I had _no idea_ that it was Yasuo creating such a mouthwatering smell. "Yasuo…is cooking…for us tonight?" I asked still in shock.

"Of course," Naomi replied. "He's actually a _really_ good chef…How else do you think these two were able to look as chubby as they do?"

I looked at the two of them who just chuckled from her comment. _If my eyes aren't mistaken, these two are FAR from being chubby…and that's from seeing them completely dressed from head to toe. Can you imagine what the two of them would look like shirtless?_

The four of us entered the dining room. Yasuo stepped out from behind the door connecting to the kitchen, holding the pot roast that had just come out of the oven. "Mina," he said, "I'm glad you could make it. I made pot roast." He set the plate towards the center of the rectangular table with the other assortment of dishes, including mashed potatoes and gravy, sugar-coated ham, roasted chicken, steamed vegetables, etc.

"I hope you don't mind the Western menu?" Yasuo said, taking off his apron.

"Not at all," I responded, admiring the table not only prepared with an amazing meal but accompanied with candles and table cloths and beautiful silverware.

"Sooo…Where's Kai?" he asked, looking from Naomi to the others.

I could've sworn that I saw Naomi clench her jaw for the first time once she saw Katashi and Akio both shrug their shoulders in response. "Why…does he always do this?" she said in the most peaceful manner she could. "He never cooperates during times like this."

"It's not…his fault," Akio said, hoping to release some of the tension. "He can't help being-"

"An ass? A party-pooper? A cold, stubborn son-"

"Naomi!" Yasuo cut-in.

She closed her eyes and slowly took in a deep breath and exhaled through her mouth. She was completely at ease once she reopened her eyes. "I'll go get him," she said in a quiet voice.

[Third person POV]

Naomi angrily mumbled to herself as she went upstairs. Kai was always like this. Ever since they were kids, he always seemed distant and it only got worse, especially after that incident all those years ago. It became so difficult to understand him. He rarely smiled and laughed, but he never seemed angry or sad. He was just always so...emotionless. She always thought that by celebrating events like this together would cheer him up, but they never seemed to work. None of her efforts ever seemed to make his lips curl up even one centimeter. And sometimes she just wondered..._Does he even care?_ She reached his door and knocked.

"Kai, dinner's ready. Everybody's waiting downstairs."

Kai stared at himself in the mirror. He moved his face to the side and looked at the claw marks starting from his left jawline and down his neck all the way to his clavicle. He felt the muscles on his jaw contract when only the tips of his fingers touched the very end of the scar. He then reached his hand over to the skin-toning makeup that he took from Naomi's dresser. But his hand stopped over it. He stared at his hand for a moment and instead brought it up to button his shirt and tucked it into his pants.

Naomi was about to knock again, but then the door suddenly opened.

"You don't have to knock again. I already heard you the first time." He stepped out and closed the door behind him.

She noticed how his scar was so blatantly exposed on his neck and was surprised to see that he took no effort into concealing it. "You _sure_ you don't want to cover that up? Weren't you sensitive about walking around like that?"

"We're in our house with nobody else but us five. Who do I need to be sensitive about?" he replied, indifferently.

"O-kay," was all she said in response.

The two walked down the stairs. Naomi walked into the dining room, Kai following behind her. Taking his first step into the room, he spotted Mina standing at the other end of the table, chatting with Akio. Upon reaction, he turned around and pulled Naomi with him back to the living room. The others stared at them, perplexed by the sudden odd behavior. Mina tightened her grip on her hand as she felt the rest of her body stiffen. _Oh my god…I feel the awkwardness building up already…_

"What's she doing here?" Kai asked, finally with some voice_._

"Well, she didn't have any plans, and she was all alone, so I decided to have her celebrate with us. Is there a problem?" Naomi casually responded.

Kai ran his hand through his hair, messing it up as he paced up and down the stairs.

Naomi grinned. "Is little Kai getting nervous being around his 'crush'?" she teased in a baby-like tone.

"I already told you before. I don't _'like her' _like her," he replied, sternly.

"Well then, come on! It's just dinner." She gave him a firm slap on the belly. "Stop being a pussy."

Kai slapped his hands over his face, rubbing his fingers on his eyes. When he brought his hands towards his neck, he flinched and then said, "I need to go back upstairs."

"Oh no you don't!" Naomi hooked him by the arm before he could make his escape back to the second floor. "You're already late for dinner, so COME ON!" She began dragging him towards the dining room.

"No, no, no, no, NO! I need to put makeup on this!"

"You don't need makeup on anything! You're not a damn girl!" And with one final jerk, both of them joined the others in the room.

[Naomi's POV]

Kai sat at the end of the table closest to the exit. Katashi and Akio sat on his left. Mina was on his right, followed by me, then Yasuo on the other end across from him. Occasionally throughout the meal, I would glimpse over at Mina and then at Kai. It was like an "_avoiding/silent-treatment war"_ raging on between those two. I could tell that both of them were just waiting for the other to _crack_, but from what I could tell neither of them was going to admit to defeat. The two would literally take turns glancing over at each other and then shift their gazes elsewhere when their eyes met. The tension and awkwardness between them was undeniable. I did what I could to loosen up the atmosphere, clueing Mina into the many inside jokes and stories that the other three were eagerly sharing. She would laugh here and there, but Kai…he remained cold as ever. I honestly just wanted to slap him on the face at times. _His damn face just kills the entire celebrating experience!_

I looked up when I heard his silverware clink as he set them down. He then pushed his plate several centimeters away from him and tapped the table cloth onto his lips one last time.

"Dinner was good. Thanks, Yasuo," he said, "Please excuse me." He stood up from his chair, picking up his plate and everything else he used.

"What? No dessert? I made four different kinds of pies," Yasuo said hoping to change his mind.

"Babe, he doesn't like anything sweet, remember?" I subconsciously reminded him, cutting my meat into smaller pieces and taking another bite. Kai didn't say anything but set his plate down in the kitchen sink and went into the living room.

Not a moment later, Mina stood up from her seat and said, "Excuse me," and followed after him.

"Are they okay?" Akio asked confused of what just took place only seconds ago.

"Dude, are you for real? You didn't see it? There's obviously something going on between the two. They wouldn't even _look_ at each other eye to eye during the entire dinner. Fifty bucks says that Kai screwed it up," said Katashi with his hand out for Akio to take him on the bet.

"Oh shut up. Kai didn't screw anything up." I took a sip of the wine. "Well, nothing relationship wise…but anyways, they're not even together. They're just friends."

[Katashi and Akio °_° ]

[Third person POV]

Mina found Kai sitting on the steps at the front of the house. His elbows rested on his knees and his face was in his hands. She took several steps towards him but stopped when he didn't flinch. Then she walked over and sat on the top step on his left. She brought her legs towards her body and wrapped her arms around them. The sun was completely out at this time, shinning so brightly that the thin layer of snow on top of the grass sparkled a bit. Mina was afraid to actually _look_ at him. It was so difficult for her to refrain from staring at the marks on his neck throughout dinner, and now, sitting right next to him on the side where the scar was facing directly at her…

"Why?" she found herself finally choke out, "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

She turned to look at him, their eyes meeting for the very first time in several days. "Break the rules…"

He looked down at his hands, remaining quiet.

"What _is_ the rule exactly – you can't save those that aren't your kind…like me?"

He looked back up at her, taken aback from hearing her say that. Then he turned away and shook his head. "No."

"Then what is it?" she asked, pushing her legs away from her. "What kind of rule is it that can make you regret so much for breaking it?"

"Don't say stupid things like that. I never said I regretted it," he responded.

"Then why…do you look like you do?" For some reason she felt tears begin to build up in her eyes. _Why am I getting so worked up? Am I really that scared of him actually saying 'yes'…that he doesn't give a shit about me at all, that he fucked up his face all for nothing and he regrets it every single moment? _She bit down on her lip, trying to prevent herself from saying too much. But she couldn't. She couldn't keep it inside anymore. "Why did you even want to be friends with me in the first place?"

Kai turned to look at her, his eyes widened from her asking such a question.

"Why be friends if you're just going to lie to me and avoid me?" She looked down at the grass a few feet in front of her.

"If you're going to torment yourself with all this regret and remorse for breaking a rule or even being friends with me, then you should've just let the other two werewolves tear me apart," I said to him, holding back the unshed tears. "It would've made everything so much easier for you…and me." Mina stood up and was about to head back into the house but instead, turned around and followed the small path leading out of the front yard.

"Turning off campus…is strictly prohibited."

Mina stopped in her place. She turned around to face the house and saw Kai, standing on top of the steps. His hand was over his neck as he walked down until both of his feet were flat on the concrete.

"This is _one_ of the rules that the five of us must abide by." He remained a good distance from her and kept his gaze on the ground. "Friday night…I broke this rule, and I do feel some sense of regret."

Mina suddenly felt her chest tighten. _He does regret it…_

"But…"

_Wait, there's more…_

"...It's not because of saving you," he finished, taking the courage to look up at her. then he added in a more relieved tone, "That's actually what I'm glad about – you not getting hurt."

The tightness in her chest disappeared. At last she felt her mind at rest and her heart at ease. _So he does care. _Kai cleared his throat and took in a quiet breath.

"But what makes me feel so horrible is that fact that when I turned, I escalated the risk of everyone around me getting hurt, including you. Being at such a public place allowed for too many possibilities, too many "what ifs"." When he looked back up, he noticed how he had walked all the way from the front of the house to where Mina was. He looked her in the eye, his radiant blue eyes clearly reflecting back her image like a mirror. "Mina, me feeling so bad is me actually caring. I do…care…about you." His voice wasn't indifferent but sincere. "And…I _do_ want us to be friends."

"Friends…" she thought to herself. "Is that all? I guess that is…for now."

[At this moment inside the manor…]

"Dude! Did you just see that?" Katashi exclaimed.

"See what?" Akio responded. The two of them were practically falling over one another as they peeked out from under the window.

"He just _touched_ her!" Katashi said, unable to take his eyes of them for a second.

"_Gasp…_Where?"

"Never mind…He was just waving a fly away."

"You two are ridiculous." Naomi walked over from the dining room to join them. "I can't believe you guys are actually _spying_ on Kai. He's definitely gonna kick your asses when he-Oh my god, they're sitting together on the steps!" She instantly crouched down to join them.

Yasuo stepped out of the kitchen in his apron with a towel and plate in his hands. "You know, it'd be nice to give them some privacy," he said to the three of them, who watched eagerly like children.

"You said they weren't together," Katashi brought up.

"That's what he told me," Naomi responded back.

"I think Kai likes her," Akio concluded, looking directly up at the other two towering directly above him.

"I could use a little help in clearing the table," Yasuo added, still standing there after being completely ignored.

"Be right there, babe," Naomi replied waving a hand at him without even turning around. she kept her look fixed on the corner of Kai's mouth, just waiting to see if it'll even twitch one bit.

[Back outside…]

"Is that why you've been avoiding me these last couple of days?" Mina asked.

"I wasn't avoiding you," Kai answered. She gave him a puzzled look.

"Then…"

"I was suspended," he finished.

"Suspended?" she repeated. "For what?"

"Oh let me see…for turning in the middle of town perhaps?" he replied. _No duh…_

"Oh…the chairman found out? How?"

"I don't know." He played with the button on his sleeve. "I guess he saw through the makeup. No wonder he's chairman of this school…" he said with a smirk that was barely noticeable.

Though it was considerably large and obvious, she wouldn't have noticed it again if he hadn't mentioned it. Her eyes followed the rigid surface from the mid-part of his neck that was no longer blocked by his collar to just a little over onto his jaw, almost crossing over to his cheek. _I guess you could say that it was my fault that this happened to him._ She turned away to stop staring. "I'm…sorry," she said in a whisper, more to herself than to him.

"It wasn't you fault," he suddenly said. Kai turned his head to look at her. She stared back at him, surprised that he had heard.

"But if I had listened to you-"

"You're still alive…so it was worth it…" he cut in. "…just like the first chance," he then mumbled to himself as he looked up at the clouds [very] slowly floating pass.

"First chance?" she said, waiting for him to explain.

"None of us ever had friends that were…_different_," he began. "And I didn't want any when I first came here…But when I saw you, something was way off. I didn't know what it was and I didn't know why. It just was." He rubbed his hand over his right arm. "Then I thought…maybe this was a good chance…for something new, something different than the norms. So…I gave it a try."

Mina didn't say anything. She placed her hand on her chest as she felt it warm. Then she opened her mouth and asked, her voice almost cracking, "Was it a good choice…taking that chance with me?"

He pursed his lips and then said, "It has its ups and downs, but so far...it seems like a good choice."

She quietly laughed to herself from his response and then looked back up to see an amazing sight – Kai sitting beside her with his head slightly bent forward and smiling. Everything else around them seemed to have disappeared, and time itself had stopped.

"He's…happy," she thought to herself, savoring every minute of this moment. Her hand gradually moved towards his, lying flat on the surface. This time, when their skin touched against one another, he didn't flinch or jerk away. Instead, he looked down at their hands and noticed how his felt so warm against hers. _It feels…nice…_He didn't move his hand at all and looked back up at the sky. _I've never gotten this close to someone before. Why now? Why her? _


	8. The Plan Part 1

**Enjoy :)**

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[Mina's POV]

I turned to my bedside table and glimpsed at my alarm. It was seven o'clock at night, and Kira was already up. _I must've fallen asleep before she came back._ The first thing I reached for was the pack of blood tablets sitting on my table. _One, two…_The pink and white tablets simmered in the glass of water, gradually turning it into a red solution.

"So?" asked Kira as she walked out of the bathroom. I rubbed my eyes and looked up at her sleepily. "Oh come on, don't gimme that look." My pillow fell to the ground when she hopped onto my bed. "I'm waiting…"

I smiled and shook my head as I got up. "How was your break?"

"Don't change the subject," she responded, following me to the bathroom. "Do I get my 'thank you' or not?"

My toothbrush was already in my mouth before I could answer.

"You know I'm just gonna follow you until you answer."

_Argh! Why does she have to be so stubborn…But then again, I'm being quite stupid too, avoiding having to tell her. _"I don't know," I said, spitting the foam out.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'? Did you two _make up_ or not?"

"Mmm…I guess." Kira leaned against the wall, waiting for me to finish changing.

"And?" she said

"Thank you," I finally said, stepping out dressed in my uniform.

"Yes!" She started hopping around the room. "And?"

"What do you mean 'and'? Everything's good now."

"You mean that's it? No…hugging, kissing, future dating?"

Gathering my books, I shook my head in response. When I looked back up at her, Kira appeared a bit disappointed.

"We're just friends," I stated. _But I don't want to be..._

"I could've sworn you two were perfect for each other," she said more to herself than me.

"So what about my question?" I said, changing the subject.

"What do you think? It was horrible," she answered, spraying some perfume on her neck.

"How many?"

"Five."

I couldn't hide the smile that materialized on my face.

"I mean seriously, it's called a _break_ for a reason…not "matchmaking" week!" Kira was almost about to brush all her hair off from just thinking about what happened.

"Five sessions," I repeated to myself. "Wow…and it wasn't even a week!" I suddenly burst into laughter. Normally she would've told me to stop, but it really was just _too_ irresistible not to laugh at the matter. Both Kira's parents and mine preferred to stick to the old tradition of an arranged marriage. Our parents' _ideal_ spouse was a pureblood, but we all knew how nearly impossible that was. So the _other_ ideal spouse was a noble from a renowned and [of course] wealthy family line. Around both our ages, Kira and I were considered "old" to be married now, hence why her parents were desperately trying to help her find the "perfect match". Luckily for me, my parents have only made me gone to one session so far. _Let's just say that the session ended with my parents having to "personally" apologize to the other family…_ "Did you see any you liked?" I then asked.

"Nope." She lay on top of her bed, staring at the ceiling. "One was too clingy; two was too perverted; three wouldn't shut up about himself; four was _okay_, but I didn't like his hair; and the last one just didn't _spark_," she finished, counting them off with her fingers as she spoke. "So other than making up, how was the rest of the evening?"

"It was fine," I replied, buttoning the sleeve of my jacket.

Kira sat up straight. "Alright, what happened?" she asked, raising an eyebrow

"What do you mean 'what happened'?" I asked back.

"Mina, I've known you since we were in diapers, and 'fine' for you means that s_omething_ happened…so spill. What was it? Does it involve _him_?" Kira was getting excited.

"You're being stupid…_Nothing_ happened." How much more do I need to spell it out for her? That was the truth. NOTHING HAPPENED! _Even when I wanted something to. _She still looked at me skeptically but didn't question anymore. She walked over to get her books as I went over to my table and took a final sip from the blood solution before going downstairs.

xxx

[Third person POV]

It was fifth period. Kira walked down the hallway and into the library. She saw Naomi sitting at one of the work tables, reading a book.

"Alright, Naomi, what's going on with Mina?" she asked, completely serious and straight to the point.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"I asked Mina about dinner at your place this evening. She said it was "fine"." Kira stared at Naomi with eyes of worry.

"Uh…" Naomi was completely nebulous about what she was trying to point out. "I'm sorry, but isn't that a good thing?"

"It's not _bad_…but in Mina's case, when she says "fine" it means that something's going on…as in _emotion _wise."

Naomi grinned. She knew that Kira was getting the same hunches as she was. _So it is true…Mina, MUST have a crush. What else can it be?. _"Alright…This is a _really_ big statement to make, but…I think Mina _likes_ Kai."

"I KNEW IT!" Kira shouted slamming her hand onto the table, even Naomi jumped from her sudden burst.

"SHHHH!" the librarian shot in their direction.

Kira completely ignored her now that she knew that her guesses were correct. "Oh…my…god…" she trailed off, taking a seat with Naomi. She placed her hand over her mouth as she began laughing to herself. Her usual pleased grin was amplified twice the size it was before. "Did she say anything?" Kira asked, once her laughter subsided a bit.

"No," she shook her head and closed her book. "So far she hasn't admitted it. Like I said, it's just a theory. We may be totally off."

Kira crossed her legs. "I doubt it. From what I've seen going on with her so far, it's definitely a "crush" alert." She then brought her elbow onto the table and placed her cheek in the cup of her hand. _I knew it…_ She looked over at Naomi. "So what do you propose we do?"

"I think I got a plan," Naomi answered with a sly smile.

xxx

"You want to tell me what's on your mind, or are you just going to keep glancing up at me after you write every two words?" Kai turned to face Mina. The two of them were in a study room in the library during the final period of the day. He was still holding on to the book that he was reading, apparently on the subject of psychology.

The top right corner of her paper was covered with random miscellaneous scribbles. She stopped her doodling and responded, "I'm fine. What makes you think otherwise?"

"You're doing homework," was the simple answer. He set the book opened flat on the table. "You usually only do homework when you're trying to take your mind off something…which has only happened…" He paused for a brief moment to recount past events. "…twice."

"Everything's fine," she repeated this time accompanied with a quick smile before she continued writing (more like scribbling…). Kai raised his eyebrow at her in skepticism but questioned no further and picked up his book again to begin where he left off. She dotted the end of her sentence but was unable to continue. Her pen twirled between her fingertips until it finally fell onto the table and Mina couldn't keep it in any longer. "How-…" _Dammit, how should I phrase this?_

"Just ask," he said, obviously getting tired of waiting for her to speak what's really on her mind.

"You promise to answer?" she asked first. He gave her an estranged look and slowly, almost reluctantly, nodded his head. Then she opened her mouth and asked, "Is…Is there a _trick_ in…turning?" He remained quiet and instead, faced forward again. He took in a deep breath but she never saw him exhale. _Stupid! Stupid! STUPID! I shouldn't have asked in the first place!_ "Never mind," she said, also facing forward. "You don't have to answer. It was a stupid thing to ask." Her eyes glossed over at him, but he remained still.

"Anger…is our main trigger."

Mina stopped pretending to write. Kai had his elbows on the table and one of his hands smoothing over the cover of his book, which was now closed.

"Technically, any unpleasant emotion can work, but anger…is the easiest," he added.

"Sooo…stay happy," she said. "That's not _too_ bad." He suddenly smirked at her remark. "What?"

"You have _no_ idea," he replied, shaking his head at her.

"Then enlighten me," Mina shot back. He stared at her for a moment, taken aback by her interest.

"We can turn whenever we want," he began.

"Can you turn now?" she interrupted. He threw a sudden look at her. "Sorry," Mina apologized quietly.

"So it's in our control, just as long as we do so regularly." He saw how Mina was already lost. "In other words, if we don't change for a certain period, we'll experience the side effects."

"Side effects?"

"Exhaustion and easily aggravated, and you know what that will eventually lead to."

"What about the eyes?" Another surprised look overtook Kai's face. "That morning when I followed you into the woods, I remember your eyes…They looked different."

"That comes with the exhaustion." He looked at her curiously and then asked, "You were looking at me that close?"

Mina's face instantly burned bright red. "Uh…NO! it was just…really obvious…considering how close I was to you." She started rubbing her face (very) unnaturally to try and stop her blushing.

"Turning keeps us emotionally stable," he continued, not taking too much notice of Mina's brief embarrassment. "Which is also why it's such a problem at times…Accidents can and _do_ happen, that's why it's vital for us to be aware of when the last transformation was and _where_ the next will occur." He leaned back in his chair. "It's important to control our emotions, especially around others." Kai looked at her, waiting to see what her reaction was.

Mina set her pen down on her notes. "Well, that shed some light on a few things."

"Was that all you wanted to ask?"

_No…_"Yeah…" _Do you have any emotions left in you that feels anything for me?..._She looked down at the words on her paper. "At least now I know why," she added.

"Why what?" he asked, curious. She looked up until their gazes met. He was _seriously _waiting for her to reply.

"Why you're always so…even-tempered…" _Is that even the right word to use?_

"Even-tmepered…" he smirked again. "You mean _cold._"

"No…I said 'even-tempered'," she corrected.

"Mina…" His expression became more serious. "You don't have to be so nice. I'm _not_ even-tempered. I'm cold and it's alright to say it." His blue eyes gazed into her hazelnut ones, literally causing the coldness to build inside her. He didn't say anymore and reopened his book to start reading again.

"You don't always have to be this hard on yourself."

Kai looked back up. Mina still sat in the same position looking at him.

"No…" he said, shaking his head. "I do…"

xxx

Kira and Naomi entered the dinner hall. They looked around and saw that Mina was already sitting at the table eating.

"So what have you two been up to lately?" she asked, taking another bite of her food.

The two of them ignored the question and stared at her.

"Um…what's going on?" she asked, a little intimidated by their looks.

"Mina, I think it's time that _you _tell us what's going on," answered Kira, not taking her eyes off her for one second.

"What are you talking about?" she asked innocently.

"Do you _like _Kai or not?" asked Naomi, dead serious.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"I'll ask again. Do you or do you not have _any_ emotional desires for Kai?

Mina felt pinned to the corner. "Uh…no," she replied softly.

Naomi and Kira tightened their glares.

"Uh…maybe?" she said.

The two moved in closer to her.

"A little?" she then changed.

Kira and Naomi were now so close to her, that Mina could _feel_ their breaths hit her skin.

"Alright, fine! _A lot_, okay? Jeez!" confessed Mina, pushing them away.

"Yes! The 'look' really worked," Kira said, grinning.

"Works every time Kai does it," Naomi proudly stated. Mina stared at the two idiots in front of her, laughing their heads off.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" she said in a menacing tone but completely embarrassed and flushing crimson at the detail that just spilled from her lips.

"Oh come on, we're only helping you out here," said Kira.

"The two of us couldn't stand you tormenting yourself with this crush," added Naomi. "Now that you've admitted to it, all that's left to do is to get Kai to as well."

"Don't waste your time," responded Mina, "He definitely doesn't see me as girlfriend material."

"And did you _actually _hear him say that?" Kira questioned.

She shook her head and said, "But he said that we're just friends."

"Seriously, Mina," Naomi broke in, "You of all should know that Kai isn't the type of guy that goes around telling people how he feels. Sometimes he even has trouble putting his thoughts into words. He's more afraid of saying something wrong than saying it at all."

Mina poked at her steak several times. Then, she finally stopped and looked up at her two friends. "So what should I do?" she asked. Naomi turned to Kira, whose lips have already curled into a huge grin.

"Mina, get ready to fail your history test tomorrow."

Mina turned to Naomi in complete dismay. _Is she for real?_

[Two days later]

Mina tapped her pen on the table, eagerly waiting for yesterday's history test. "I still can't believe I agreed to do this…" she thought to herself.

_-Flashback to two days before during dinner-_

"_You see, Kai is an egg," began Kira, pacing herself back and forth in front of the two ladies._

"_An egg?" asked Mina, scrunching her forehead at her friend's ridiculous comparison. _

"_Yes…" she responded, completely seriously. "You already 'cracked' him. Now, all you have to do is 'break' him. And the best way to get him to realize that he likes you, is simple…temptation." Kira pointed out. "You only have one class with him, right?"_

"_Yeah?" she confirmed._

"_Well then, your only option would be after school."_

"_But what does this have to do with failing the test tomorrow?"_

"_It'll go like this: Mina's having trouble in class. She bombs her test. The professor's having an exam at the end of the month, and she needs to do well on that. So what does she do?" Kira eyed Mina and Naomi, waiting for them to answer. "Come on guys, this isn't a rhetorical question."_

_The two stared at her, clueless. _

"_[Sigh]…A tutor? Duh!" _

"_Oh! That's brilliant!" Naomi complimented, clapping her hands together._

_Mina looked at the two of them as if the two of them really were wacked._

"_Wouldn't it be a lot easier if I just asked him out? That way I won't have to 'bomb' my test." _

"_Something like this has never happened to Kai before. If he 'consciously' knows that he likes you, going on a date will scare him shitless," Naomi replied._

"_And the charm with being tutored is that it's innocent and time consuming. By spending more time with you, his temptations will go up and sooner or later he'll spill," Kira added. _

_Mina started blowing fish faces as she thought for a moment. "[Sigh]…Well, I guess I'm not studying tonight."_

_-End of flashback-_

Mina turned to Kira, who tilted her paper to the side, revealing her B+ and gave her a wink. Mina sighed, and then Professor Atashi approached her desk.

"Mina, a _very_ unexpected decline in performance." He handed her the piece of paper faced down. "I expected more from you," he added and walked off. She turned the test over.

"Wow, Mina! You really know how to _fail_ a test if you want to," Kira commented, peering over her shoulder. "You must really like this guy."

Mina just stared at the 'F' in red ink on her paper. "Yeah, I do," she said to herself.

As the bell rang, Mina got up and walked with Kira out into the hallway.

"So what's next?" she asked her.

Kira responded, "Wait for last period. Look like you're having a bad day, and hopefully that should get him to ask you what's wrong, and when he does, tell him."

"Do I ask him to tutor me?"

"No. That's not your part."

_Scheming and failing tests all for one single person. Am I really this desperate to get this guy to notice me…to get an answer?_

…_Hell yes…_


	9. The Plan Part 2

Taking one last look down the hall, Kai turned around to return back to class from the patrol. He placed his hands into his pockets and glanced over to the left from the corner of his eye, and suddenly paused in place. _Is that..._He moved closer to the window, almost sticking his head completely out into the open_...Mina?_ She sat on the stairs of the main building entrance with her face in her hands. Instead of entering the classroom, Kai skipped the door and made his way downstairs towards the exit at a relatively fast pace.

"Skipping class isn't really your thing," Kai commented as he walked down the stairs.

"It's study period," Mina responded, still keeping her face buried in her hands.

"But you still need to be in a classroom," he added, stopping next to her. His head tilted sideways as he looked down at the piece of paper carelessly tossed to the side with the number thirty-two labeled in red ink on it. "So it is true," he said to himself, pacing around, his hands still placed in his pockets.

"What is?" Mina looked up at him, standing in front of her, just waiting for her to ask.

"I heard a rumor earlier this evening of someone scoring below average on a test for the first time since this school was established…" A small smirk suddenly formed along his lips. "And I just found out who…"

"Oh my god!" she literally screeched, grabbing at her dark-brown hair. "First my grade…now my reputation!" He sat down on her right, resting his arms on his knees.

"I'm just teasing you…It's really not that bad," he remarked, having no intention to distress her in the first place. Rather than bringing some sort of ease to her, his comment left Mina hiding her face in her arms again. He sat there, clueless as to how to act in such a situation. _What do I do? What should I say that won't make me look like an imbecile and won't make things worse than they already are? _He fumbled with his fingers and tapped his shoes on the cemented steps. He then pursed his lips together and began to whistle.

"What're you doing?" Mina asked, looking up at him.

"Whistling…"

"I _know_ that."

"I just don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of this. It's just one test…" _But then again…she is a girl… _

"It's not just the test," she snapped back. "It's the _entire_ class!" She threw her hands up, making her crisis appear more dramatic than it really was. Kai just kept an eyebrow raised as he watched her ramble on and gesticulate her arms in a crazy manner. "How am I going to study for the exam if I don't even understand what the hell Professor Atashi is lecturing about half the time?" Her eyes widened with worry at a sudden thought that crossed her mind. "Daddy's gonna' _flip _when he sees this test…Oh my god! He'll butcher me if I flunk my exam!" By this time, Kai was more amused by all her worrying and over-thinking than confused by what she was trying to say. It wasn't until a moment later that he noticed how intently he was watching her…and suddenly how _strange_ he was feeling being in her presence. _Is there a reason…for me always wanting to be around her?_ He felt an enormous build-up inside that he never had before.

"Are you okay?" Mina asked.

Kai blinked several times, bringing himself back from his thoughts and suppressing the weird sensation he was feeling. Then he casually responded back, "Why don't you just get a tutor…if you're so worried, that is…?" She stared back at the prefect, appearing lost by his words.

"A tutor…?"she repeated before facing the ground. With her hands on her cheeks, concealing half her face, a small pleased grin lingered onto her lips. _I didn't even have to mention anything…It's all going as planned._

xxx

Both Mina and Kira sat among a group of classmates at the other end of the dining hall to where the prefects were. Kira slapped her hand over her mouth, bursting into laughter at a perverted joke one of the boys told. She turned to Mina, who was watching closely at the table of five. She too pulled herself together and glanced over.

"What's going to happen next?" Mina asked, keeping her gaze fixed.

"It's Naomi's turn now," Kira answered, bringing the glass to her lips. "Then...it's his."

From their perspective, Kai sat at the right side of the round table with Yasuo directly across from him. Naomi was on his left and across from Katashi with Akio by his side.

"Did you guys hear about Mina and her history test?" Katashi brought up, with a humored grin.

"She got lower than a ninety…_Nobody_ gets lower than a ninety, "Akio added.

"And you've been here long enough to know that?" Naomi remarked.

"The Night Class is known as an "elite" class for a reason, sis," her brother inferred.

"If you ask me, that last test was a lot harder than before," she added.

"But still…She scored _below_ average. How mentally retarded do you have to be to get that kind of score?" The four of them jumped when Kai's fist slammed abruptly onto the table, making their plates and silverware clink. They turned their attentions to him. His fist opened up and his fork, completely bent into a curl, dropped onto the surface.

"Do you enjoy criticizing people of their mistakes?" Kai suddenly asked Akio, the look of his cold eyes piercing him like icicles.

"I-I didn't mean it like that," he quickly responded, trying not to directly look him in the eye.

"He speaks!" Naomi exclaimed, sarcastically, clapping her hands together. Yasuo chuckled to himself and Katashi couldn't help but sneak in a smile as well. "Well, now that you've finally spoken _something_, what do you think?" she asked Kai.

"I don't have any thoughts about Mina," he replied apathetically, taking up his tablecloth.

"Of course you do," she corrected without hesitation. She straightened up in her seat. "Of all the topics we touched on in our conversation, you commented on _this_ one, so obviously you have something on your mind."

Kai tapped his spoon on what was left of his food. He stared at it for a moment before responding. "She should get a tutor…since she's struggling…" He looked up and saw the three of them stare blankly at him. "…so much," he finished.

Katashi raised an eyebrow, looking quite puzzled. "I thought we were just talking about how much she sucked on the test…?"

"And Kai has just provided Mina the answer to her prayers," Naomi added, much pleased.

"Wha-?" Kai suddenly said, lost himself.

"Mina's been whining all day about her exams in a few weeks because of this test…and you just offered a great solution to her problem." Naomi crossed her arms and smiled gregariously at him. "Since it's your idea, would you do the honors of carrying it out?" The others carefully kept their eyes on Kai, waiting for his lips to move.

He looked back at them, staring at him, and then laconically replied, "No."

"Why not?" Naomi snapped back, uncrossing her arms.

He set his spoon down and shook his head. "There're fifty other people who are much more qualified of teaching her than I am. If you haven't noticed already, I'm not the most _patient_ teacher."

"But you two are good friends and-"

"No," he coldly repeated, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

Naomi flicked her hair in the other direction and rolled her eyes at him. _He's being stubborn again. Think, Naomi. Think! _"I guess she really is gonna' have to leave then," she then muttered to herself. Kai looked up at her.

"What'd you say?" he asked as he slowly uncrossed his arms.

"I don't know if she was joking or not…but during class today, she was freaking out about her dad finding out about her grade dropping." Naomi brushed her hair back. "Said that if she doesn't get at least the same grades as before, he's transferring her to an all-vampire private university in London."

"London?" Kai said. _What the hell? That's practically on the other end of the world! _

"I'd help her if I could, but I don't have that class," she added, peaking from the corner of her eye to see his reaction. He was quietly gazing off to the side for several minutes. Then, he stood up and took his plate with him.

With his back turned to the group, preparing to leave, he said, "Alright…I'll tutor her." He then walked off and out of sight.

"That went…_AMAZINGLY_ well!" Naomi exclaimed, completely thrilled and yet a bit dubious of the fact that everything actually worked. "Awesome acting, boys," she applauded to the other three.

"I actually thought he was going to murder me that time, "Akio said nervously.

"At least now we have something to look forward to," Yasuo added, smiling amusingly with Katashi. Naomi took a breath of relief and sat back in her chair, relaxing her shoulders. _Did you see his expression when I said she was leaving?...I've never seen him care so much about another person like that…_

_

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_

**Will update soon...hopefully:)**


	10. Tutoring Part 1

**Sorry for the wait. Enjoy:)**

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* * *

**

"This is it, Mina, your first after school tutoring! You ready?" Kira said. She and Mina as well as Naomi were making their way down the hall.

"Am I allowed to say 'no'?" Mina responded, nervously.

"Nope," Naomi answered for her. Mina suddenly stopped walking and began to retreat a little. "I don't know about this…" she said, gripping tighter onto her books. "I mean what if things go bad? What if-"

"Is she always like this?" Naomi turned to Kira and asked.

"She's usually quite confident in everything she does. It's only lately that she's been like this." The two ladies quietly looked at Mina, waiting for her to calm down. Once she stopped talking and just looked back at them, Kira asked, "Feeling better now?" She nodded and the three of them proceeded towards the dorms. Kira split with the group once they reached the Moon Dorm, and Mina and Naomi continued their way to the prefect's manor. Naomi turned to her once they entered the house, seeing how fidgety Mina was acting.

"It'll go fine. Just pretend it's study period with him like always," she said.

"Do I really have to _seduce_ him like Kira mentioned?'

"I'm pretty sure you can _dazzle_ him by just bing yourself," Naomi assured.

Mina took in a deep breath and replied with an uncertain, "Okay..." Then she went into the dinning room, where there lesson would take place.

She sat at the dining table. Her chin rested in her hand as she doodled on her fourth sheet of paper, waiting for Kai. She pushed her sleeve up and looked at her watch. "Seven forty-six...He was suppose to be here at seven." _He's not coming, is he? _She sighed and stood up, gathering her papers. At that moment, Kai came in.

[Mina's POV]

"I'm sorry for being late," he said, directly making his way into the kitchen. My mouth was half-way open as I watched him come back through the door with two glasses of water. My eyes were looking at every inch of his wardrobe. His shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned half-way. One end of his collar was cropped up while the other was folded down, and the buttons on his sleeves weren't in place. He tossed his belt and tie onto one of the empty seats next to him and hung his blazer over the back of his chair. This was the first tinme I have _ever_ seen him look like...such a mess.

"Kai," I began, still a little taken aback. "If you're too tired, we don't have to start today."

"Don't let the attire fool you," he said, rolling up his sleeves. "I feel great" he added, looking up at me. His eyes were even more beautiful than before. I noticed how he was giving me one of his "hidden" smiles and I couldn't help but grin back. He then turned his attention to the textbooks in front of us. "What chapter are we on?" he asked. _He doesn't know? -.-"_

"Twenty-two," I replied.

"Do you remember any of the previous chapters?"

"Would it upset you if I said 'no'?"

"It's fine," he said with an understanding disposition. _Whoa, he really is in a good mood._ "We'll just work a bit harder."

I scrutinized him a bit more closely, actually finding his "easygoingness" a bit awkward. Then I noticed several pieces of black hair on his shoulder. My hand reached over.

"You had to turn, didn't you?" I asked, holding the hairs out in front of me. Before he could even answer, I eagerly threw another question at him. "Can I see next time?" He flinched from my sudden excitement and stared back at my huge grimace, dumbfounded.

"Uh...no," he answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"Because it's dangerous," he answered without any moment of thought.

"I'll be careful, I promise!" But I still had a feeling that a promise wasn't enough to coax him. He immediately shook his head.

"No."

"But-"

"Let's have you pass history class first before we have you watching people turn into furry monsters," he cut in.

"So that's a'yes'?"

"No...That's a 'now's not the time'." He turned to look at me, all traces of emotion disappearing again.

"Fine," I responded, picking up my pen and twirling it around.

"Let's get started," he then said, bringing the textbook in between us as he continued flipping the pages."Chapters from before are about the early beginnings of civilization and how vampires and humans coexisted. Then the next chapter is about-" He stopped in mid-sentence once he reached the page. A smirk played onto his lips and finished, "...werewolves."

_Ooo...This'll be fun! I forgot the professor taught this section. _He looked up and saw the excitement building up inside me upon hearing that word.

"Maybe we should focus more on the other chapters," he suggested.

"Oh come on!"

"I don't think this topic is _that_ important."

"We've only learned four chapters. And an entire chapter is about this. That's a quarter of the exam...We have to cover it."

"Okay," he reluctantly replied.

I didn't show the satisfied smile that wanted to reveal itself, fearing that he would suddenly change his mind when he saw it. _This shouldn't be too difficult...relearning what I already know. Besides...this time I might be able to hear the other side of so-called "great" history of vampires. _

[Some of their sessions…]

Kai: Alright, where's your book?

Mina: [takes it out of her bag] Here.

Kai: [flips through it]

Mina: [looks at him then at his jacket over his chair and notices something sticking out from the pocket on the inside] What's this? [reaches for the object]

Kai: [turns around to see] It's nothing. [snatches at it, but misses]

Mina: Is this a pair of glasses? [grins to herself as her other hand is on his chest, preventing him from grabbing at it]

Kai: It's nothing! [reaches for it again, turning a bit pink]

Mina: It is! I never knew you wore glasses!

Kai: They're just for reading when the words get a little blurry. [still flushing pink]

Mina: [holding the glasses up to examine] Put 'em on.

Kai: [flinches] What?

Mina: [grinning playfully at him] I wanna see what you look like with them. [Holding the glasses out to him]

Kai: No.

Mina: Oh come on! Please?

Kai: [shakes his head] No…you're gonna' laugh.

Mina: Don't be such a baby. I won't.

Kai: [looks at her for a second and reaches his hand for them. puts them on and looks at her]

Mina: [slaps her hands over her mouth, her face turning bright red]

Kai: [immediately takes them off again] See? I told you you'd laugh. [Looks to the side, seemingly embarrassed]

Mina: [faces away from him to try and regain her composure] I'm really sorry. [still smiling]

Kai: [ignores her]

Mina: [turns around and fumbles through her bag]

Kai: [turns his head slightly towards her]

Mina: [turns around wearing a pair of glasses. reaches over for his in his hand and puts it on for him, brushing aside the hair that fell in front of his face.] Now you won't feel lonely.

Kai: I didn't know...you wore glasses.

Mina: [shrugs her shoulders] Contacts. Not all young vampires have perfect vision.

Kai: [smirks and moves the book towards her] We're going to go over chapter nineteen for today.

Mina: [her hand touches his as she reaches for the book]

Kai: [pauses a bit]

Mina: [quietly with a shy smile her hand still on his] I think you look cute in them.

Kai: [starts to turn pink and tugs on his collar] I needa' get some water! [quickly escapes into the kitchen]

Mina: [looks at the door to the kitchen] I think that was too much for him...

(Another session…)

Kai: So how did the conflict start? [looks up from his book]

Mina: [lying face down on the table]

Kai: _(sighs) _[sets book down and rolls up a pack of papers. Then whacks it on her head]

Mina: I didn't do it!

Kai: Didn't do what?

Mina: [looks blankly at him and realizes that it was just a dream] Nothing…

Kai: You fell asleep again.

Mina: Sorry. [wipes the drool from the corner of her mouth]

Kai: So how did it start?

Mina: [rubs her face] Umm…it all started when a group of werewolves violated the treaty and killed a pureblood blah, blah, blah – Dammit! None of this is even true…I feel like I'm learning a bunch of lies.

Kai: It's in the book and it's what you're going to be tested on. Okay, moving on. Who led the first resistance?

Mina: Aoi – But don't you get sick of all this? All this _crap _that it says about your kind?

Kai: [shrugs his shoulders] It's not that bad. Besides, it's entertaining seeing the things that people come up with. Now…who killed the last remaining werewolf?

Mina: Jiro Nakamura killed "a" werewolf, but he didn't kill the "last".

Kai: [looks up at her] You know you're going to get that wrong if you write that on the test?

Mina: Why? It's the _correct_ answer. One is still sitting in front of me right now. He's even teaching me all this shit that he knows isn't even true.

Kai: [closes the book and rubs his temple] _(sigh) _I knew I shouldn't have said anything about our history.

Mina: I just don't see the point of learning about lies.

Kai: Not all of them are lies.

Mina: Like what?

Kai: _(sighs)_ [flips open book again] Like this. [points at a caption under the picture of the pureblood that was killed] We did kill him.

Mina: [looks up at him, a bit shocked] Why? Was it really because of rebelling?

Kai: No…He broke the trio-treaty that we had with the humans, slaughtering all that got in his way. So we had to get rid of him for the sake of all three species.

Mina: You see? The elders did it again! Covering up for the mess that we made.

Kai: _(sighs)_ [flips through the book again] Here. [points at a paragraph]

Mina: [reads it, then shakes her head in disagreement] That's not true and you know it.

Kai: Really? And how would you know?

Mina: Because you could've killed me, but you didn't.

Kai: That's because I was already satisfied from killing the other two before you.

Mina: Why do you do that?

Kai: [raises his eyebrow] Do what?

Mina: Why do you give yourself excuses to defend that _image _of your kind?

Kai: Because just like sarcasm, some lies are based on a bit of truth. We _are_ savage beasts driven by instincts and have no sympathy for our prey.

Mina: [looks to the side]

Kai: [takes a deep breath] Let's call it day, okay?

Mina: [starts picking up her papers and putting them in her bag]

Kai: [stares at the table for a moment] Mina…

Mina: [turns to him]

Kai: You're...really not scared of me? Even after everything you've read and heard?

Mina: Like I said, this book is a bunch of rubbish. Besides, you're too _cute_ to be called "savage"…even as a little fuzz ball. [smiles at him]

Kai: [turns red and sorta smiles to himself]

Mina: I'll see you tomorrow.

[A week later…after one of their tutoring sessions]

Tutoring was over, and Mina had already left. Kai took his coat and walked out of the kitchen. Naomi leaned against the railing at the second floor, peering down at the first level.

"So how'd it go today?" she asked as he walked up the stairs.

"Same as always," he replied.

"You think she'll do well?"

"I don't even know why she's getting tutored. She practically knows the stuff. How the hell did she get a thirty-two?" He was next to her now, also leaning over the railing.

Naomi shrugged. "I don't know. People do surprising things to get an answer," she kind of said to herself.

"What?" Kai had heard her.

"Nothing," she replied. "So she wants to see...the transformation?" Kai turns to her, surprised at her sudden remark. A sly smile appeared on her face. "Let's just say I walked pass the dinning room a little too much over the mornings." He didn't say anything but turned to look out the window on top of the entrance doors. "Are you going to show her?" she then asked.

"No," he answered the same he did to Mina that day.

"How come? She already said she'd be careful."

"It's not her that I'm worried about," he murmured to himself.

"It's...okay to show her," Naomi said. "Especially since she accepts you for what you are, and since you care so much about her-"

"And what makes you think that I care that much?" he broke in, sounding irritated all of a sudden.

"Because if you didn't, you wouldn't be doing what you've been doing for the past week." Her tone changing just as swift as his. She took her hands off of the railing. "Have you ever thought why you're doing what you're doing?" she then asked.

He looked back at her confused. "Why are you asking me this?"

"You don't want her to get transferred...But have you ever thought _why_ you don't want her to leave?" She looked at him, but he didn't reply. "Think about it," she said and then walked away towards her room.

Kai stood there for a while. "Why am I doing it?" he repeated to himself. He felt a sudden tightness in his chest as if it was trying to prevent him from saying anything further. But he then straightened up and said quietly to the sun on the other side of the glass window, "Because I don't want to lose her."


	11. Tutoring Part 2

[Last session: two days before the exam]

Mina and Kai sat by the kitchen counter for their final lesson. Textbooks and notes were set spread out over the counter and even on the floor around them. It was days before the exam and Kai had to make sure that she was ready. The two of them have been going over questions for the last hour.

"When did he-"

"1876."

"Who built the hall of-"

"Elder Onui."

"And what was his greatest accomplishment?"

"He formed an alliance between the vampires and the werewolves."

"What about his brother?"

"He helped form the first council to overlook issues between the different species."

Kai looked up at her from his book and then said, "I think you'll do fine." Mina smiled to herself. It was pretty much impossible for her to fake stupidity for nearly three weeks. Kai closed their textbooks and started reorganizing all the scattered pieces of paper on the counter.

"Can you believe that almost three weeks have gone by?" Mina asked, taking the papers from hm. Hejust smiled and ran his hand through his hair. "Thank you," she then said, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously. "...For doing all this."

"No problem."

She took him by the hand as he handed the pencils to her. She felt him jolt from her touch but he didn't jerk his hand away. Instead, he stared at their hands touching and then looked up into her gaze. Mina moved closer to him but paused for a moment. When he didn't retract back, she leaned over to his face until she felt his cold lips against hers. He didn't pull back, but instead, brought his arms around her, bringing her body closer to his. She naturally placed her hand on the back of his neck as the other reached into his shirt and touched the solid muscles along his chest. He kept one hand on her thigh and the other gradually moved its way from her waist and inside her shirt along her back until he felt her bra at his fingertips. Mina felt him begin to push her away a little, and then pressed herself harder against him. After a few seconds, Kai stopped and movedhis mouth away from hers, looking off to the side and breathing exceptionally hard.

"I...I can't do this," he finally said, still trying to catch his breath. He had such a confused expression, not about her, but himself. He shook his head and then repeated, "I can't do this," and pushed her off of him before rushing out of the kitchen.

Yasuo and Naomi looked up from thr reading in the living room.

"Kai, what's wrong?" asked Naomi. She stared back at him, standing there with the top of his shirt unbuttoned with a bewildered expression hanging over his face.

"Are you okay?" Yasuo asked, standing up. Kai wasn't even looking at them but stared down at the marbled floor. Then he just suddenly ran up the stairs, and all they heard was the slamming of a door.

"What the hell was that?" Yasuo asked, looking over at Naomi. "I've never seen him like that before."

"I don't know," Naomi replied quietly, sounding worried. She got up and went into the kitchen. "Mina?" She found her still sitting at the counter, not just proccupied with her thoughts but completely lost. "Mina?" she repeated.

"He...He pushed me away..." Mina muttered to herself, oblivious to Naomi's presence. "He doesn't feel the same..."

"What? Mina, what're you talking about?" Naomi asked, placing her hand on Mina's arm. She stood up and took her books.

"I shouldn't have done this. It was all a mistake," she said, not directly looking Naomi in the eye. She went out of the kitchen, ignoring Yasuo in the living room until she reached the entrance. But Naomi caught up and stood between her and the front door.

"Mina, what do you mean a mistake? What happened? What did Kai do to you?"

Naomi saw her eyes filled with unshed tears once Mina finally looked up at her.

"He pushed me away..." she replied in such a quiet and weak voice that trembled. Then she opened the door to the risen sun and walked out.

xxx

[Several days later...Kai's POV]

_The way our last session ended was confusing and probably misunderstood by the both of us, I'd assume. I haven't seen her at all this past week, and her exam was two days ago. She hasn't been showing up for last period. Is she avoiding me? Who wouldn't after the way I acted? I'm really not that good with the opposite sex, am I? _

I went to the administration office. Mrs. Sophie, the Chairman's secretary, sat at her desk.

"Good evening, Mrs. Sophie," I politely greeted, giving her a slight wave.

"Kaito, nice to see you. How are you doing?" she responded, pausing from typing on the computer. _I already told her before not to call me that. I guess she forgot...Whatever..._

"Fine," I simply responded. "May I ask what class Mina Kobayashi has last period?" She eyed me suspiciously. Then I added, "The Chairman wants the prefects to check up on some things."

"Oh, I see," she said with all doubts and skepticism gone. "Let me see...Mina Kobayashi...Junior, right?"

"Yeah."

"Ah, here she is. She swapped her study hall with her regressions class."

"Oh." _So she's swapping classes to avoid me now..._ "Thank you," I said to her and exited out of the office. I walked down the hallway, making my way back to literature class before the bell rang.

"Hey, wait up," someone called from behind. _Is it Mina? _I turned around but to my dissappointment saw Naomi running up to me. Once she caught up to me, we made our way with the crowd to dinner.

"Mina got a perfect score," she suddenly said.

"Really? That's...good," I responded, not sounding too excited.

"And it's all thanks to you. Apparently, you're a really good tutor," she said, smiling at me. She stopped when I didn't even bother to keep my gaze on her for more than three seconds.

Once we joined the others at the table, I glanced around the entire hall, looking to see where she was. It was a moment later when I finally noticed Mina sitting at the table closest to the front entrance with Kira and her other "vampire" friends. _Maybe I should just drop the matter...and dismiss everything. No! I have to talk to her...I want to. _Her loud friend, Kira, was talking non-stop as always. _I wonder if she ever chokes on her words..._Apparently she was saying something funny, making all the others giggle and snicker to themselves, but Mina...She wasn't laughing. _Is she even listening to anyone else? _Though she was pale like every other vampire, she appeared so soulless compared to days before. _I feel like I'm overlooking something...Either I haven't been connecting the dots right or...I didn't connect anything at all in the beginning. I'm misinterpreting her...and myself._

"Right, Kai?"

I blinked several times and rubbed my hand over the spot on my arm where Katashi had nudged me. When I turned to look at the four, I saw that Naomi was watching me quite closely. _How long has she been watching me like this?_ I looked about the room and noticed that it wasn't as packed as before. _Have I been staring at Mina the entire time? _I looked back to face their table. Everyone was still seated and chatting, but Mina's spot was empty. _Where did she go?_ I straightened up in my seat to get a better look, then spotted her almost out the door at the back. Without a word, I sprung from my chair and went after her.

"Mina," I called to her once we were the only two in the hallway. She was hesitant to stop and turned around as I made my way towards her. "You changed classes," were the first words that I said. She was surprised of my awareness. _Am I really that idiotic to not notice?_

She moved her hand onto her shoulder and replied slightly embarrassed, "Yeah." She was becoming exceptionally fidgety and wouldn't even _look_ at me. _Has my presence suddenly become this unbearable? Maybe this isn't the best conversation topic for us at the moment. _

"I heard about your exam," I brought up, hoping that this would be a more comfortable subject for the both of us. "You got a perfect score. Good job," I congratulated.

"Mm...Thank you," she responded with a nod and gave me a small _forced_ smile. I ran my hand through my hair, trying to avoid myself from also drowning in the awkwardness.

"Well...now you won't have to leave anymore."

"Leave?" She gave me a perplexed look. "To where?"

"London...right?" I replied back, taking my hand out of my hair.

"London? What are you talking about? Why would I go to London?"

_What?_ I looked back at her for a second, confused and then said, "I thought you said...but I..." My eyes strayed to the side as I thought for a moment. _She's not going London? But N-...Naomi! _I turned to Mina, who was staring blankly at me. "Never mind," I said to her. "I'm sorry." Then I left her there as I ran back to the dining hall.

The four of them were still in their original seats when I arrived. I marched up to Naomi and took her by the arm. "We need to talk," I told her.

"But I'm not done with my ice cream."

"Now," I emphasized sternly, jerking her up onto her feet. The others stared at the two of us but didn't dare to intervene. We stopped once we reached the class building entrance.

"She's not going to London," I said, trying to refrain from exploding.

"Of course she's not. She passed, remember?" she responded.

"No. She was never going in the first place."

Naomi's smile flattened out and became nothing but a dead line. "Bingo," she quietly said, placing her hands behind her back.

I brushed away the end of my coat and placed my hands on my hips. "Then why did you-..." I couldn't even say it. I never thought she would do something like this. _After all these years, she's never lied to me before. Why would she do it now? _"Why didn't you just directly confront me to tutor her?"

"I did," she honestly replied. "And you said 'no', just like I knew you would."

"Because I'm not the _only _person that can teach history to her."

"But you are," she quickly said back. "You're the only one that she _wants_ to be taught by. Even if you are impatient or cold, she doesn't care. She wants _you_. And you've been too dumb to see it."

I stared at her completely speechless. _Is she speaking the truth?_

"Just think about this last month. Apologizing, shopping, study periods, and tutoring? You're always finding excuses to cover up for the way you feel and the reasons for your actions. You tell yourself not to get close to her, but deep down, you want to."

"No I don't," I defended.

"Then you wouldn't be looking at her the way you do everyday during dinner."

_Is it possible that Naomi knows more about me, than I do myself?_

"You feel something for her and it's not as a friend."

"I...I don't know what it is that I feel," I was finally able to respond back. "I care about her...but...but I don't know if there's something more."I could hear her fingers tap against her skirt and then suddenly cease.

"Are you sure you don't know, or are you just scared to know?" She waited for my response, but I didn't even have the courage to look her in the eyes anymore. Her hands fell gently to her side, then she turned around and walked back into the building. I finally lifted my head when she disappeared, seeing that I was standing all alone with no one there for me. _This is how it's always been...Me doing everything on my own and keeping everyone else at bay. It's the way that keeps everyone else safe. But...if that's the case, why do I feel like I'm making such a huge mistake?_


	12. Enslaved by Emotion

**I actually like this chapter quite a bit. Sorry for the wait though. Read and enjoy :)

* * *

**

[Kai's POV]

I thought about what Naomi told me last week. She was right...I was scared. _I'm scared of getting close. I'm scared of forming new bonds and opening up to people. I was the one that was hesitant to even attend this school when we first found out. Funny how I'm the alpha of the pack, and yet I'm more scared than any of them. I can't believe how pathetic I am..._

It wasn't until arriving at the academy and meeting Mina that I realized how "change" wasn't as bad as I had perceived it to be. It was actually..._good _for each of us. Akio loved the academic system here. Yasuo enjoyed having his own kitchen. Katashi loved the girls, and Naomi was thrilled to finally get the opportunity to make new friends. But what about me? What was it that I prized from coming here? If you were to ask me that before, I would've said that I was staying for the sake of the Chairman and the others. But now I knew that that would've been a lie. I stayed because of _her_.

xxx

I stood with the other prefects, facing the wooden oak doors, awaiting for the time to open them and allow the rest of the Night Class to proceed to the classrooms. My eyes lay fixed on the doors, knowing that once they opened, Mina would be among the throng of students coming through. She and I had not spoken since that time after dinner, almost two weeks ago. But I was becoming sick of all the avoidance, all the feelings of emptiness and misunderstanding...I wanted to speak with her, to hear her voice again.

The creaking of the doors disrupted my reverie, bringing me back to the moment. I straightened up from leaning against one of the light poles as I glossed over every head that I could see, trying to locate one with long dark-brown hair. She was barely visible walking behind two boys about the same height as I was, and her "loud" companion was with her. I didn't budge, seeing that they were approaching where I was and hoping that she would at least return my gaze. However, she and Kira both walked past me with no hint of notice. _So she's moved on from avoidance to complete disregard of my presence. Fuck!_

[Mina's POV]

I tightened my clutch on my books as we passed him. My lungs expanded as I took a deep breath but the air didn't exhale as I was interrupted by the sudden call of my name. Kira turned around when he called me again.

"You know he's calling you?" she said, confused of my lack of response. I didn't reply and continued walking forward. "You're not gonna' see what he wants?" she then asked. "It may be-"

"I don't want to talk to him," I finally said, turning to look at her but not stopping. Suddenly, a hand seized my arm, jerking me to a stop. I turned around and came face to face with Kai. His grip remained securely fastened as he looked back at me.

"We need to talk," he said to me as I scowled back at him.

"I need to get to class," I simply responded.

"You can spare a few minutes."

"Yeah, I think you two really do need to work things out," Kira put in.

"Kira!" I stared back at her in disbelief. _How could my best friend side with him?_

"And I believe that's my cue to leave." Without another second, Kira continued her way towards the building entrance, leaving me standing there with him alone. I rolled my eyes and sighed to myself. He was about to speak again, but I cut him off before he could.

"I'm sorry, but I have to get to class." I brushed his clasp off my arm and walked away without even looking back._ I didn't even give him a chance..._

xxx

[Kai's POV]

_She turned me away this evening. Nobody has ever turned me away! _I rubbed the back of my head, strolling down the empty corridor. _It seems like she's more upset with me than I thought she was. _It was last period and I was on one of my patrols before everyone else got out of class to head out to dinner. I stopped in front of one of the windows and leaned out. The cool breeze hit my face, refreshing my mind a bit from the constant over-thinking. I wiped my hands over my face and peered out into the forest that covered the land. _Maybe I should turn after dinner. I could probably think a lot better afterward. There's too much "stuff" building inside. I should get rid of it before it gets out of control. _

The bell tower sounded and reverberated throughout the building. I stood up as the hall instantly filled with students. As I moved with the flow of the crowd, I suddenly noticed a girl step aside from the group, making her way in the other direction. _It's Mina!_ Not even taking a moment to think things through, I interrupted the flow of students as I cut my way across, inattentively pushing aside anyone that blocked me. When I finally arrived to the exact spot where she was at the fork of the path, I found nobody there. _She's purposely throwing me off track. _But Mina didn't know that her scent had become so distinct to me that I could pick it up miles away. I took the direction that led to the Sun Dorms, using the trees as my path. _Clever girl..._I silently stepped onto another branch, my hand firmly against the tree trunk to support me. Then I stuck one foot out in front of me and dropped down, landing gracefully onto the soft wet grass.

"You really think you can outrun a werewolf?" I asked, looking up at Mina now standing in front of me.

"Give me a second try and I bet I can," she said callously.

"Do I also get a second chance if I do?"

"Bye, Kai," she responded back instead, turning around and waving me away as she walked off.

"I just want to talk," I said quickly taking hold of her arm to stop her from walking. "Two minutes, that's all I'm asking." She didn't run away when I released my hold but remained there, waiting for me to speak. "I'm sorry," I apologized first, "About that last session. I didn't mean for it to be like that. I-"

"You really don't have to say anything more," she broke in. "You did what you did, and it's fine. I shouldn't have over-stepped. It was a stupid idea, pretending that I needed tutoring."

I gave her a bizarre look. _Did I just hear her right?_ "What do you mean 'pretending'?" I asked.

"I liked you, Kai," she confessed. "A lot...So...I got the idea of intentionally failing my history test so that you'd tutor me." She looked back, seeing the shock that had hit me.

"And Naomi..."

"Don't blame her for anything. Naomi just wanted to help, that was all," she added. We were quiet for a moment. "It was a stupid crush," she then said. "Nothing more." Her hair brushed against my shoulder as she walked pass me.

"Do you still feel the same?" I asked, watching her walk away. She stopped and turned part way to face me.

"No," she answered in a quiet voice that I could barely hear.

"Do you mean it or have you already convinced yourself with all the excuses?"

"It's like what you always say, Kai...just forget about it." She then turned around and walked away.

The tightness in my chest built up so fast that I couldn't even feel my heart beating anymore. My throat was so dry that I couldn't even swallow. Breathing was nearly impossible. _A stupid crush...Is that what she views it as?_ I slammed my hand against the tree and slid down onto the cold grass. _Has she been fucking with me all this time?_ _You know, for a moment I thought that she'd be the one that I could finally open up to. If she's telling the truth, and she really feels nothing for me anymore...I still can't deny the fact that I DO feel something for her. _I brought my hands up to my face to cover my eyes. I didn't have to look and to already know that the silver luster tainted the blue of my eyes. After all these years of neutralizing my emotions, I had forgotten what anger truly felt like, and now...Now I knew again.

xxx

[Mina's POV]

I stopped walking once I reached the fork along the path again. My hand held onto the light pole next to me as I leaned against it. I dismissed the unshed tears that formed in my eyes as I walked over here and brought my other hand close to my chest. _None of what I just said was true._ "Then why did you say it?" I asked myself. _Because I'm scared...I'm so scared of being rejected. So to save myself from the pain, I reject him first. It's selfish. I know...But who isn't in the world?_

xxx

Even after weeks of not speaking, Kai still seemed to be bothered by what happened the last time we talked. _But then again...So am I. _I always felt like he was watching me even when I turned around to see him looking the other way. _Is it possible that I was wrong...That he wasn't trying to declare his rejection that day...but confess his feelings?_

I jumped, suddenly waking myself from my daydream. Professor Matsuri stood in front of me, his arms crossed, holding a thick roll of papers in one of his hands. _He must've hit my desk with that. Scared the hell out of me! _I looked up at him, my gaze meeting his glower.

"Mina, if you're having trouble staying focused in my class, I suggest you switch back to your evening period. Apparently mornings are not working for you," the professor suggested, uncrossing his arms.

"Sorry," was all I responded back, straightening up in my seat. He didn't bother to pester me further and walked back up to the chalkboard to continue teaching. I fumbled my fingers through my hair and apparently zoned out once again. But this time, it was the bell that disrupted me. I picked up my belongings and walked out into the crowded hall. At that moment, a man swung his arm over my shoulder. I turned around and saw Lance, grimacing ridiculously at me. _He must've been waiting for me. God! Out of all the other students at this school, why him? _

"Hi, Mina," he greeted with that stupid grin still lingering on his lips.

"Go away," I said, brushing his hand off my shoulder. _Lance is the heir of an extremely ancient bloodline...Too bad he's also a leech. He gets close to a girl, takes what he wants, and then tosses them aside. Everyone of the Night Class knows it. But some girls are still dumb enough to fall for his bullshit. They say his charm is irresistible. Hmph...We'll see about that._

"Well, that's rude," he responded, slightly frowning. "Do you always greet people this way?"

"Just to the jackasses." I didn't even bother to look at him as I continued walking down the now empty corridor.

"Hey!" He grabbed me by the arm, pulling me to a stop. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Here, I'll save you all the trouble. What do you want?" He didn't seem surprised at all by my response. Instead, he grinned back and shrugged his shoulders.

"Now what makes you think that I'm that type of guy?" he asked. "Honestly, I'm just like any other ordinary gent."

"You seriously think that?" I scoffed. "Your the one that almost killed one of the Day Class girls by practically sucking her dry. And you call yourself a gentleman?"

"I can't help it if her blood was _so_ sweet and tempting."

"You disgust me," I said with contempt. "Your blood is the only thing keeping the Chairman from removing you." _And slaying your ass!_

"And _your_ blood is the only thing that lets me put up with all your bullshit." He snatched my wrist before I could walk away and pinned my body against the wall. My free hand swung from the side to strike, but his other hand intercepted my path, twisting my arm and pinning it against my side. I could feel his hot breath hit my neck. "You know...I always wondered what your blood would taste like. Not as mouth-watering as a human's probably. But when I was gonna' take my chance, that stupid Kai started hanging around you. I've been watching...And you two haven't been talking lately. What's wrong? You two got into a fight?"

"Go fuck yourself!" I spat at him. _Shit! How did I get into this mess?_

He smirked to himself, and I felt the warm saliva from his tongue stain my skin as he licked the side of my neck. Then he whispered into my ear, "I'm going to enjoy this."

"Hey, asshole!"

At that moment, I heard the smashing of bone against bone and saw Lance's body go flying down the hall. I quickly turned around and saw Kai, glaring in the direction of the hall behind me. He moved passed me, keeping his eyes fixed on Lance as he unbuttoned his right sleeve and rolled it up.

"What the fuck was that?" Lance shouted at him, wiping the blood that dripped from his nose as he remained down on the ground. But before he could get back onto his feet, Kai seized him by the collar.

"I hope you'll enjoy this," Kai said to him. "Because_ I will_." Blood poured onto the floor of where they were standing as Kai continually rammed his fist into Lance's face. The walls were splattered with dark red each time his fist pulled back to throw another blow.

"Kai!" I called, petrified in place. But he didn't cease his actions. "Kai, STOP!" I screamed, pulling on my hair. Kai stood over Lance, his fist reluctantly falling to his side. _This is not good. The blood is going to draw the others._ He released Lance.

"Oh my god," I muttered to myself, covering my nose and mouth with my hands as I stared at the unrecognizable face attached to the body, lying motionless on the ground. _The scent...It's unbearable!_ I looked up at Kai, breathing heavily with blood smeared all over his knuckles and dripping onto the floor. Then I noticed something strange about his appearance. It was his eyes. The blue was barely visible, almost completely concealed by the layer of silver. "Kai," I said from behind my hands. "Your eyes..."

He looked down at Lance's body, seeing that it was still breathing. Then he looked up at me, fixing his gaze onto mine. The silver gradually began to fade a little but did not disappear once his breathing became stable. I was about to move closer to him but stopped when my foot soaked into a puddle of crimson. I looked back up at him and saw the worry and self-loathing that suddenly overtook him as he stared at his hand stained with Lance's blood. His hand trembled at his sight and clenched into a fist as he turned to Lance's body beside him.

"Mina," he finally said in a quiet voice that I had never heard before. "Get to class. I'll take care of this." He took Lance by the arm and lifted him up with ease. The two of them then made their way towards the Chairman's office.

Both students and professors stepped out of their classrooms. I remained standing there, with my hands still over the bottom half of my face as I stared off at where Kai and Lance had disappeared into the distance. Blood permeated the atmosphere, and yet all I could think about was the look in his eyes as he threw one punch after the other.

It was rage.

xxx

Kai stared at himself in the mirror, paying much attention to the shade of his eyes - they were blue with a tinge of silver. _Dammit! They've been like this the entire day. _He splashed some water on his face and wiped it away with a towel. His hand reached up to loosen his tie and then tossed it behind him as he walked out towards his bed. _Strange…I didn't hear it hit the ground._

He turned around and saw Naomi, standing by the doorway, holding onto the blue tie in her hand. He noticed the deep sense of concern present in her expression.

"What happened today?" she shot out at him. "This has _never _happened before. You─"

"I know," he cut her off. Kai rubbed his hands on his face, his fingers pinching the corner of his eyes. Then he ran one of his hands through his, further messing it up.

"You're easily pissed. You're always frustrated. Last time you almost threw a goddamn desk out the classroom window. Kai…What the hell is going on?" she exclaimed, unable to fully contain herself. He didn't say anything for a moment.

"I'm…" He paused, clenching his jaw, unable to believe it himself. "I'm having trouble controlling it," he said softly.

"What?" Naomi stared back at him, confused.

"My emotions…" The corner of his mouth twitched when he began. "They're becoming unstable."

She crossed her arms. "When was the last time you turned?"

"Two days ago," he replied.

"Two days ago…" she trailed off. "It shouldn't be like this then."

"It's getting worse," he put in, sitting down on his bed as she walked over to him. "Especially around Mina."

"What do you mean?" Naomi dropped the tie on his bed and sat down next to him.

"When I'm around her," he spoke, hesitantly. "I get this urge…to let go all restraints." He looked down at his hands. "And it gets worse every time I see her." Kai turned and looked up at her. This was the first time that Naomi saw a sense of care in his cold blue eyes. The indifference that was always present was instead, consumed by sadness.

"I can't...stop thinking about her," he finally confessed, shifting his gaze away from her again.

"Why don't you tell her?" Naomi said, slightly tilting her head.

"She doesn't feel the same...Not anymore. It would be pointless."

Naomi watched him bring his hand up to his neck and run his fingers up and down the scar that was there. One of the details she always knew that confirmed to her of Kai's feelings towards Mina was the lack of projection. He never projected anything towards her - no complaints, no frustrations or anger...or regret. Even though it was her fault for disobeying his command and it was _her_ presence that caused the situation to escalate to the way it was...It didn't matter. He didn't care about the cost but the aftermath. She was safe, and that was the important thing. _I'd imagine that if that exact incident was to be replayed, Kai still would've done what he did...Even if he knew the consequences. He cares so much...But sadly to say, I'm not sure as to whether or not Mina is willing to give him a second chance. I want to help...But for the past month, she's been cold as ice to him and nothing I say seems to do any good. Is this really how it's meant to be?_ Naomi then turned to look at him.

"You can't keep holding all these feelings inside, thinking that's it's just going to go away on its own," she told him. "You _have _to get rid of it." She brought her leg underneath her, sitting on it. "Release it. Use it to turn."

He immediately stood up, shaking his head. "No! Out of the question. If I use this to turn," he said, touching his chest. "It'll be uncontrollable. I'll be one _pissed _dog!"

"What other choice do you have?" she asked back. " You've already seen what happened today. You _beat _the guy's face into a pulp! You're lucky Chairman Cross didn't question your action. But how are you going to explain ripping off the professor's head next time?"

"I just need time to get it back under control," he responded. "Then it'll be fine."

"So you're not gonna' turn at all? You're just gonna _wait _till it's "settle" again?"

"If I turn, I might hurt somebody!" he stressed.

"If you don't turn, you're gonna hurt yourself!" Both of them were standing by now. Naomi gripped onto the end of her skirt. "You know what happens when we resist from turning! The urge grows until it takes over, and when it does…and you finally turn…it's going to hurt…A LOT."

"It'll be fine," Kai calmly replied, turning around and walking over to his dresser. "I'll control it by then."

"And what are you going to do by then?" she questioned.

"I'll stop going to classes...for now and stay here. It's better not to see her."

She tried biting down on her tongue to prevent her objections from breaking out into the open. Instead, she just shook her head in disapproval. "You're being an idiot," she asserted before leaving his room.


	13. The Beast Within

**Read and hopefully enjoy...**

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[Mina's POV]

Though I wanted to try and forget about Kai, I couldn't help but think of him even more. What happened yesterday was just a reminder of how much I still cared. _The look he had…I wonder if he's alright_. _I can't keep avoiding him and pretend not to care!_ _It's been so tormenting to pretend that he didn't exist every time I walked past him. I have to stop all this nonsense. I...I still want to at least be friends._

xxx

I brushed my sleeve up and looked at my watch. The gate should've been opened eight minutes ago. _What's the delay?_ I looked up when I heard the doors creak and begin to separate. Finding him was the only thought occupying my mind. I saw Yasuo and walked past Akio, but I didn't see Kai. _Where is he? Was he suspended again?_ Naomi stood at the far end of the path this time. _Strange...She's usually up front. _And she stared off into space, quite intently. _She's definitely not the distracted type. _

"Naomi?" I called, hoping not to startle her.

"Oh, hi, Mina," she cheerfully replied, sounding completely different than what I thought she would. "What's up?"

"Where's Kai?" I asked, looking about us. She raised her eyebrows and looked back at me a bit surprised. _I don't blame her. I went almost a whole month not talking about him. It doesn't surprise me to see that she's taken aback by my sudden question. _

"Oh…uh..." She was having difficulty finding the words to reply. "He's not feeling too well."

_He's sick?_

"Oh…" was all I replied back.

"Don't get me wrong, Mina, but...Why are you suddenly asking about him?" she asked, curiously.

_Because I'm so worried that my heart hasn't slowed down ever since yesterday! I feel like it's gonna' POP right out of my chest!_

I shrugged my shoulders. "Just curious."

"It's more than that," she replied back right away, fixing her eyes on me.

_She's giving me that stare again! Shit! And it's working!_

My lips pursed together, trying to refrain myself from giving in. "Alright!…I'm worried," I admitted, frowning by now.

"Really?" She had a delighted smile.

"Why does that make you so happy?" I asked back, crossing my arms. She put her hands behind her back and danced around me.

"Because I wasn't sure if you still cared about him, and now I do."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...Wait a sec." I held out a finger to her. "I never said I still felt the same."

"But you said you were worried."

"Well, yeah."

"Then you care."

"Ye-ah?" I wasn't sure if I should've said that.

"Then that's it. You still do," she concluded, placing her hands on her hips as she grinned back. It was literally impossible to debate with Naomi. Sometimes, I thought she could even out-talk Kira.

Once she noticed how I was becoming a bit agitated by her "logic", Naomi then explained,"Listen. Kai hasn't been able to sleep well these past few days, so he's just taking some time off to rest. Don't worry too much. Okay?"

I nodded and tried to smile back, feeling only half assured by what she said. Then I decided to not ask anymore and walked towards the classrooms. _I guess I'll just talk to him when he gets back. And hopefully find out what really happened...If he's still willing to talk to me that is... _

xxx

_Where the hell is Kai? He's been missing the entire week!_ _Does he need that much rest? Naomi's definitely not telling me something. Goddammit! I feel so damn clueless!_

I kept crossing my arms then dropping them to my side, tapping my shoes on the ground, and glancing at my watch as I waited for the _damn _doors to finally open. I was in such a hurry to ask Naomi about what was going on that I literally stood right in front of the doors this time _- wood to flesh and flesh to wood. I have to get some answers today!_

[Third person POV]

"I can't believe you came," Naomi remarked, crossing her arms tightly, quite upset.

"I'm fine. It's under control," assured Kai, as he rubbed one of his eyes.

"Really?" she said sarcastically. "You look exhausted! And your eyes─"

"I said I'm fine!" The doors then opened. He turned to her and said in an annoyed tone before the students walked out, "Let's just get this stupid job done so we can get the hell out of here." He unbuttoned a few buttons from underneath his tie. "Dammit! It's so fucking hot..."

"Obviously, you're not fine," she thought to herself, watching him practically glare at everyone he lay eyes on. She wanted to argue back with him more, but she knew that her efforts would be futile. _Kai is such a stubborn ass!_

[Mina's POV]

I stepped on my tip toes to try and get a better look among all the students, looking for Naomi. _I have so many questions to ask her about Kai! _But I didn't need to find her anymore because the guy that I wanted to ask her about was standing no more than several meters away from me. Without me knowing, my right foot took the first step towards him, but I was hesitant to move the second. _Something's not right. Is he okay? A week of rest and he still looks like this? _He looked...exhausted as he kept rubbing his eyes. His uniform was wrinkled and his tie wasn't even in fit in position. I finally got the nerve to walk over to him, and then tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and nearly jumped when he saw me.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked. I could recognize that confused look even underneath the exhaustion. "Naomi said that you took some time off to get some rest…But if you ask me, you still don't look so good," I added.

"I'm…uh…I'm fine," he replied hesitantly.

I noticed how his entire body was tense as he stood there, avoiding to look at me. _What? Am I too ugly to look at now? _He was jerking at his collar as if it was too tight and uncomfortable when it was perfectly fine.

"Listen, Kai…" I looked at the ground, staring at the pebble in front of my shoe. "…I'm sorry."

"For what?" he said, slightly looking up.

"For being like such a bitch these past few weeks," I replied frankly. He suddenly clutched his stomach and clenched his jaw as he turned to the side.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" I asked, holding my hands out in case he was gonna collapse. _Seriously! What the hell? _He nodded, relaxing his grasp a bit.

"Its fine..."

"No, it's not." I shook my head as I brought my hands back in front of me. "I just…I still want to be friends," I added. He looked at me, as if unsure of what he heard. "Can we?" I asked, hopefully.

"Mina! Come on, you're gonna be late!" shouted Naomi from the other end of the path as she and the other prefects were about to make their way to the classrooms as well. I looked back at him, but he turned to the side, facing away from me.

"You…you should get to class," he finally said, not looking back.

"But –"

"I can't answer right now," he interrupted.

_What the hell did he mean he couldn't answer right now? I don't get this guy one bit! _I wanted to say more but seeing how he didn't _want _to hear it, I decided not to and walked away towards the others. _Okay, other than the fact that he wouldn't answer a simple question, what the hell was wrong with him? Why was he so tense? And he rarely stuttered…_

About halfway to the main building entrance, I turned around to see if Kai was following from a distance. He was still where I had left him. But something was wrong. He was bent forward and clutching his chest again. Then he suddenly broke off running in the other direction. _What the….?_

[Third person POV]

Kai gasped for air. His heart pounded against the walls of his chest, trying to beat its way out. He thought that it was under control but after that encounter with Mina, he realized that it wasn't. He quickly got out of his jacket, dropping it to the ground as he kept running deeper into the forest. It wasn't enough, his body still felt so tight, consticting his nerves. He quickly took off his vest and with one pull, forced the tie off his neck. He could feel his rib cage rearranging itself by now…The urge was pushing its way through. _God, it hurts so much! But I can't turn now! Not here!_

Mina ran after him into the forest. _Why is he going in here? _She suddenly tripped and looked behind her to see what it was that made her fall. "A jacket?" she thought to herself._ Wait…_She picked it up, examining it more closely. _This is Kai's jacket._ Then she looked in front of her deeper into the forest, spotting also his tie on the grass not far off and his vest. _Oh no! _Not wasting anymore time, she ran in his direction. She immediately slowed down as she heard the sound of someone gasping echo around her. She looked around, but there was no one in sight.

"Kai!" she shouted, but there was no response.

Listening more intuitively, she picked up the heavy breathing and followed it deeper into the trees. Not too long afterward, she saw Kai, kneeling on the ground, completely bent forward with one of his hands grabbing at his stomach as the other was on the ground supporting him.

"Kai!" she quickly ran up to him. His sweat covered his face and dripped all the way down to his chest. His shirt was unbuttoned all the way, revealing his muscular trunk and abnormal bone structure. "Oh my god! Kai, what's happening to you?"

"Mina…get-out-of-here!" he shouted, through clenched teeth.

He grabbed at his chest. She could see his skin begin to stretch, like it was about to rip, and the sound of his racing heart resounded in her ears.

"Kai…" She reached her hand over to him, but was hesitant at first, gently placing it on his shoulder. She had no idea what was going on or what to do.

He suddenly grabbed her arms and looked up at her, absorbing her into the gaze of his pure silver eyes.

"Please…" he begged in such excruciating pain that she saw the tears from his eyes. "Please…make it stop!" He pressed his forehead against her chest, as he still held onto her. Her vision blurred once the tears filled her eyes as she sat there helplessly watching him suffer. She wrapped her arms around him, her chin on his head, trying to comfort him as she cried.

Footsteps suddenly surrounded them, and she quickly looked up. Katashi, Akio, Yasuo, and Naomi were all running towards them.

"NAOMI! DO SOMETHING!" she shouted at them.

"Shit! I _knew _this would happen!" Naomi said as she ran over.

"Jesus Christ!" exclaimed Katashi, coming to an abrupt stop. Naomi went over to Mina to take her as Yasuo and Katashi picked up Kai. Katashi looked at Kai's ribs as they rotated in position. "Fuck! He's turning!"

"It's impossible for him to stop now," Akio quickly put in.

"We have to take him as far away from campus as possible!" Yasuo ordered, taking one of Kai's arms over his shoulders. Then without a moments waste, the two of them along with Kai disappeared behind the trees. Naomi was practically supporting Mina's entire body as she held onto her.

"Akio, go to class. Make sure that everything's alright there," Naomi ordered. He nodded and was about to run off when a sudden scream pierced the air.

"Yasuo!" They heard Katashi shout from afar.

The three of them ran in their direction. They were still running when both Yasuo and Katashi was thrown in their direction, smashing into Akio and knocking him onto his back. Naomi bent down and helped move Katashi off of him.

"What happened?" she asked, as they stood up.

"He _fucking _turned, that's what happened!" shouted her brother, pissed by the tear on his black shirt.

"He's loose. We have to make sure that he doesn't go near the school or anywhere public," Yasuo added, tossing his ruffled up coat onto the grass.

"What's going on?" Mina suddenly asked. "I thought as werewolves, you could still control yourselves…And he's the leader. Shouldn't he have even _more _self-control?" _What's happening to Kai? Why is he like this? _The four of them stared at her, quite taken aback. None of them were aware that Kai had informed her this much about their kind. Naomi opened her mouth to reply when a boulder was suddenly thrown in their direction. Mina dodged it, landing on her feet. Akio got up and took of his blazer, about to unbutton his shirt.

"Akio, don't!" shouted Naomi. "If you turn, you're just gonna provoke him even more."

"Then what are we suppose to do? Just stand here and let him toss us around and eventually tear us into pieces?"

"Well, if you want to lose it, then be my guest! But I'm not gonna save your sorry ass when you piss him off even more! You and I both know that you can't take him down!"

"Stop arguing!" Yasuo demanded, raising his voice for once.

"Fuck! He's coming!" Katashi cut in, taking several steps back. They all looked forward and saw a flash of black fur charging towards them.

"Split up!" ordered Yasuo.

Naomi grabbed Mina by the arm and ran in the opposite direction from the others. Mina dared not look behind her as the two of them ran. Vampires were fast, but werewolves were incomparable. Even in their human form they still moved with such swiftness that it was difficult to fully keep up. She looked back. There was nothing but trees and shadows.

"He didn't come after us," Mina said Naomi turned around and gradually stopped running. Both of them were starting to take in deep breaths.

"What are we gonna do?" Mina asked.

"I…I don't know."

She immediately caught on to the tinge of fear in Naomi's voice when she answered._ If she's scared, then I should be petrified._ They jerked their heads behind them, as they heard the others shouting their names.

"We're over here," Naomi hollered back.

Mina looked at the trees and bushes surrounding them. Then she said in a very, _very_ quiet voice, "Naomi, something's wrong." She looked at her, extremely concerned. "It's too quiet."Suddenly, the werewolf bust out from behind the trees, knocking both of them onto their backs before they could dodge.

"Mina, run!" Naomi ordered, quickly getting up. "Kai! COME AFTER ME!" He slowly started moving towards her, growling menacingly as saliva drooled down from its snout like a rabid dog. At that moment, Mina scrambled onto her feet and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction. But Kai instantly turned his attention towards her and charged after. He tackled her, slamming her onto the ground. His canine teeth were like daggers hanging down from the pink flesh of his gums. Mina could feel his breath on her face as he exhaled. _Is this it? Is he really going to kill me now?_ Her eyes couldn't look away form his silver ones. She opened her mouth wanting to tell him to stop, but no words came out. _Kai…please…_

"KAI, DON'T LET IT CONTROL YOU!" Naomi screamed out from behind them, practically straining her vocal cords. He didn't even turn to glance at her. His eyes were filled with anger and pain and they kept staring at Mina, completely absorbed by her presence. Slowly he raised one of his claws.

Naomi's eyes widened with fear. _What am I gonna do? How can I make him realize?...You know what to say! SAY IT! _ Then she said in a softer tone, "Tell me...Are you really going to kill the one person that you love?" The beating of hearts and the sound of breaths were silenced, and everything around went completely quiet.

"What...did she just say?" Mina thought to watched and noticed Kai still staring at her, but his eyes…they were alternating between silver and blue. His claw that was raised in the air trembled, as if part of him wanted to slash her face off and the other was resisting.

"Don't let it control you," she repeated, desperately hoping that he understood her.

"Kai, you're not like him," Yasuo said from behind her. He and Katashi and Akio joined the rest of them. Mina noticed the tinge of silver in his eyes disappear, leaving just the blue. He lowered his hand and stood up from her.

Mina sat up. He didn't seem angry anymore, but sad and revolted by himself. He turned to look at the others. They didn't do anything but waited to see what his next move was. His breathing calmed a bit and his ears began to droop back. He took another step back, and she even heard a small whimper. Then, he turned around and disappeared into the trees. The others walked over to Mina.

"Are you alright?" Yasuo asked, holding a hand out for her. She nodded and took it.

"Should we go after him?" Akio asked, still looking in his direction.

"No," Yasuo replied. "He'll be fine."

Nobody said anything for a moment. They just randomly looked at the ground or the trees. Katashi, playing with the rip on his shirt, broke the silence. "We should get ourselves cleaned up and head to class."

"What about the chairman? Should we tell him?" asked Akio.

"No," Yasuo immediately responded. "If we tell him, he'll most likely kick Kai out of school…Maybe even all of us." Then they all looked at Mina.

"You won't tell as well, right?" asked Akio, hoping that that was true.

"I won't," was all she replied. They all agreed and made their way back to their dorms.

Mina couldn't stop thinking about what she heard moments ago. _Was Naomi telling the truth?_ She snapped out of her daze and noticed that she was falling behind a bit. "Naomi," she called to her, gently grabbing her by the sleeve. She didn't have to say anything more for her to figure out what she wanted to ask.

"You're probably really confused about what just happened and what I said tonight." She looked down at the grass, rubbing her arm a bit. She then said once she looked back up, "Meet me by the fountain after classes. I'll explain everything then."

* * *

**If something doesn't make sense now, don't worry. It will soon.**


	14. The Truth Unfolded

**It's a long one.**

**I don't own any references to VK.**

* * *

[Mina's POV]

The hours at school felt like days. I found myself glancing at the clock every two minutes. Everyone's voices became a monotone and bumping into people in the hall between classes was becoming a habit. I sank deeper into my seat, seeing that there was only a few minutes of class left.

_What…the hell happened today?_

I still couldn't get that picture out of my head – the image of seeing someone's bone structure move the way it did on Kai.

_It was practically rearranging itself!_

I sat up when the sound of the bell echoed down the hall.

_Finally…_

Remembering what Naomi told me earlier, I directly made my way to the front of the building. It was still dark when I went out and the cool breeze blew by my hair. I peeked from the side and saw that the fountain was deserted. There was no one there.

"I guess she forgot," I said to myself, disappointed.

But at the same time, the shadow of a figure appeared from the trees across from where I was standing. And Naomi stepped out onto the cobble-stoned path, placing the red lace around her neck and tying it into a ribbon.

"Did you wait long?" she asked, without turning around to face me.

I moved over closer to her, able to feel the splashes of water from the fountain hit my skin.

"No," I replied.

"I wasn't in the _safest_ mood throughout the day, so I wanted to take a precaution before I came," she told me, seeing the puzzled look I had.

_So she had to turn…_

"And the others?" I asked.

"They're fine. They went to look for him."

She sat down by the edge of the fountain and I soon joined her. There were so many questions buzzing in my mind that I didn't know which to ask first. But before I could say anything, Naomi spoke first.

"I wasn't lying when I said he loves you," Naomi said, looking down at her socks that came above her knees. "He really does."

"I could never tell," I quietly said, a bit afraid to look at her.

"Yeah, well, none of us really could. I got hunches here and there, but…well, they were just hunches."

She shifted in her sitting, turning to face me more.

"I told you before. Kai isn't the type of guy that goes around telling people how he feels. He himself doesn't even know how he feels half the time. He's actually quite slow when it comes to this," she added with no sense of sarcasm.

"I thought he just didn't know how to express it."

"It's more than just not knowing. He completely separates himself from it," she clarified.

"Is it because he has to turn?"

"Part of it is."

I was amazed at how calm Naomi was.

"But the others and you aren't like that," I pointed out.

"You forgot that he's the alpha. He's like the "pureblood" of werewolves. He's the one that holds the pack together. As the leader, this is his responsibility and his alone: to maintain stability within himself and among us."

"Isn't that…a little overwhelming?"

She shrugged her shoulders and looked up at the sun that was barely rising. "I don't know. I guess not, since he seems to be doing a good job with it, except for today that is."

She turned to look at me.

"Why do you think he's always so even-tempered and cold?"

"If he's been able to separate himself from feeling anything...Then what happened today?"

Naomi looked at the ripples formed by the water in the fountain. She thought for a moment before she spoke.

"What happened today was probably one of the worst things a werewolf can go through."

I kept my thoughts to myself, awaiting for an explanation.

"When we reach eighteen," she began. "_Our_ age of eighteen, we turn on the first full moon before we can turn voluntarily. Transformations aren't very pretty, especially the first one. It's slow and painful. You feel every bone shift, every muscle stretch, and every inch of your skin tear apart. But it's a phase that we all have to go through."

She dipped a finger into the water and made a circle.

"You probably already know that we have to turn regularly and whenever we get too emotional, right?"

I nodded in response.

"Did Kai ever mention what happens when we don't?"

"Yeah, once. You become tired and aggravated."

"But did he tell you what happens when we still resist?"

I shook my head, listening intently for the next words that I would here.

"We begin to lose it."

_Lose it?_

"Our instincts take over and our desire to turn gradually becomes irresistible. And when we finally can't hold back anymore, we turn, and just like the first time…It hurts like hell, and we can't control ourselves…That's what you saw today."

My eyes strayed to the side as I tried to process what I heard. But I still didn't get it.

"Why was he resisting? What got him so caught up in the first place?"

Naomi looked up at me, and answered, "You did."

_Me?_

Her response caught me off guard. I stared back at her speechless.

"Me?" I repeated.

"I told you. Kai loves you. He always did. He just didn't know how to show it."

Then she gave me an uncertain look and said, "But then again…I think he's scared to show it."

"Why would he be scared?"

"I don't know."

She looked away.

"I've been trying to figure that out all these years. But…"

Her lips pursed up as she too was drowned in questions.

"So he's been holding it all back," I said, clutching onto my hands.

"Yeah," she responded, quietly. "And he finally cracked…"

I felt like slapping myself.

_All this time…I was so blind. I didn't know how much he was going through._ _I've been so preoccupied with myself and how I felt that I completely disregarded him._

Naomi took a deep breath and then stood up, getting ready to go back to the guest manor. She turned to me.

"You've always wondered whether or not he loved you. I guess now you know how much he does."

Then she walked off and disappeared into the sunlight.

xxx

[Naomi's POV]

I stopped in my steps once I faced the front door to the house. My eyes stared at the doorknob but my face focus was still on Kai.

"I can't believe this happened…And to _him_," I thought to myself, shaking my head as my hand wiped across my face.

Then, I took the doorknob and turned it. My weary eyelids flicked open when I saw Kai, walking towards me once I opened the door. He was out of his uniform, wearing a black coat and jeans. He carried his duffle bag with a reluctant and sad visage.

"Kai! What's going on?" I asked, standing between him and the door.

"I'm leaving, Naomi," he replied, in a monotone, trying to move past me.

"No, no, no, no, no! You can't do this! She _finally_ knows!"

I pushed him back.

"You saw what happened today!" he said, his tone instantly changing. "I _fucking_ lost it! My mind, emotions and whatever the hell is inside me are all completely _fucked_ up right now!"

He took notice when I flinched from the harshness in his voice. He wiped his hand over his face, also realizing the color change in his eyes.

"I…I can't control it anymore, Naomi," he said, in a calmer voice. "It's not safe to be around me."

"And you think that going back home will fix everything? I know that what happened scared you, but you can't just run away when shit like this happens! You have to face it!"

_He's not thinking straight!_

"She's right. Don't do this, Kai," Yasuo said from behind.

I didn't even notice the others that were standing around us.

"Yeah, we'll help you," Katashi added. "I mean, we're a pack. We always stick together."

A frown formed on Kai's lips.

_He knows that leaving won't help._

"They do have a point, you know?"

The five of them all turned around and saw Chairman Cross sitting in the armchair at the center of the living room with his legs crossed.

_How the hell did he get in? No wonder he use to be the best vampire hunter!_

"If I remember correctly," he started. "I'm the chairman of this school, and you're a student. Shouldn't you be reporting to me first before you make a decision like this?"

(-.-) _He does have a point..._

None of us dared to say anything in objection, not even Kai. Chairman Cross stood up from his seat and walked over to the door where we were standing.

"Come, Kaito. We're going to go on a little walk around campus," he said, opening the door.

xxx

[Later on…Third person POV]

"He didn't come to class yesterday, and he wasn't in his room this morning. What do you think happened during his talk with the chairman?" Akio asked, concerned.

The four of them sat around the fireplace, ill at ease.

"No clue," Katashi answered, slouched over the arm rest. "I don't get why this is so hard for him? Sure, he messed up, but we all do. Remember last time when Akio broke into a bakery back home?"

"Hey! That's different! I pulled several all-nighters studying and you just had to pull a prank on me!" he quickly defended.

"Yeah, and you ate all the croissants," Katashi mumbled to the side.

"He _can't_ mess up," Naomi responded, returning the conversation back to its serious roots.

She stared off into space, contemplating so hard about exactly what was going on in Kai's mind.

"It's what he expects of himself," she then added.

"He's afraid…he's always been," Yasuo spoke right after.

They all turned to look at him. He stood over the fireplace, staring deeply at the wild flames slowly eating away the chopped, dry pieces of wood.

"You guys weren't there when it happened," he continued. "You didn't _see _the look on his face…Fear and blood-stained."

Naomi stood up and walked over to him.

She gently took him by the arm and then said, "Tell me. What happened?"

He took her hand, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. Then he looked up and saw that Katashi and Akio had both moved seats closer to where he was standing. They were all waiting, waiting to hear exactly what happened that day seven years ago.

_-Flashback-_

_[seven years ago…]_

_The hallway was dark and the wind howled from the outside. Kai moved further down towards the slight beam of light shining from the crack of the door. He had heard yelling all the way in his room upstairs. _

"_Why would you do something like that?" he heard his father stammer. _

"_We've stayed dead long enough! It's time we stopped hiding!" his mother retorted back._

_Kai peeked through the small crack. His father stood by the burning fire and his mother over at the bed. _

"_Kaien can help us," she added._

"_You forgot that he's educating those blood-sucking demons at that ridiculous academy! He's already chosen his side!"_

"_Why are you being so stubborn?" _

"_Because 'they' were the reason why this whole mess started! 'They' broke the alliance, 'they' struck down so many of our brothers and sisters, and 'they' drove us into this shit-hole that we're in!" _

"_Both sides have suffered tremendous losses, not just us! It's been centuries since either species have come together to negotiate!"_

"_And what do you think will happen when we do make another alliance? You think that we'll all be able to come out into the open world with a vampire living on our left and a human on our right? Get your senses together! Such an idea as pacifism is good as dead!" _

_Kai had never seen his father this furious before. He was always a man of few words and rarely displayed any sense of emotion. His current state was extremely dangerous. He was letting his emotions take over. Kai was about to barge in and stop the argument but didn't when his mother started speaking again._

"_Kaito, listen. If just one pure lineage from both species, us and the Kurans, can come to a compromise, we can recreate the world that our elders desperately tried to maintain before it fell apart__"_

"_The Kuran family? They were one of the many that turned their backs on us! And you want to crawl back to them? You're despicable!"_

"_No! I'm the one trying to find a way to keep our species alive, to keep OUR son alive!" _

"_Do not make me the enemy here!"_

_Kai noticed the lavender part of his father's eyes begin to turn silver. _

"_I have sacrificed so much for our existence!"_

"_Yes, including the lives of your pack!" _

"_ENOUGH!" _

_His father slammed his fist against the wall and instantly transformed._

"_FATHER, NO!" _

_His father, now a werewolf, lunged towards him immediately after he burst into the room, ramming both of them out the window. _

"_KAITO!" his mother screamed._

_She quickly jumped down from the window onto the snow-covered ground. She looked up, but saw nobody but snow stained with blood, leading into the woods. _

"_Kaito…"_

_ It was quiet in the woods…too quiet. But she didn't stop running. She had to find Kaito, her son and her husband. The trail of red led to a person kneeling in the red snow. She clenched her hands together to try to stop them from trembling so much. It was her son, leaned forward with his right hand tightly clutching his left arm, trying to stop the bleeding. _

"_Kaito!" _

_ She ran up to him, falling to her knees. His sleeve was ripped off and most of the skin on his left arm was gone with the pink flesh completely exposed and puss oozing out._

_ "Mom…Get out of here," Kai urged, enduring every bit of pain travelling to the rest of his body from his arm. _

"_No! I am not leaving you!"_

_ Tears streamed down her eyes. She couldn't believe that matters would come down to this. Rustling noises pierced the cold air. She turned in every direction, seeing nothing but trees. Suddenly, her husband jumped down from the branches, snarling as the ground shook from his landing. He approached her, his claws, sharp and fully extended. _

"_Mom, run!" her son yelled. _

_But she didn't. She stood up boldly and stared at the beast straight in the eye. _

"_Kaito…You've become a monster," she said, her eyes filled with sadness._

"_MOM! NO!" _

_Both Yasuo and Ichiro jerked their heads in the direction of the woods. The two of them had just arrived at the Yamamoto mansion. _

"_Father, did you hear that?" Yasuo asked, still staring at the distance._

_Ichiro sniffed the wind as it blew by. His eyes suddenly widened in worry. _

"_Yasuo, hurry!" _

_Without a moments waste, he rushed towards the trees and into the darkness with his son following close by. They stopped once they approached the large stain of blood in the snow. _

"_This is Kai's blood. I recognize the scent," Yasuo said._

_Ichiro nodded._

"_He's nearby…and there's another scent," he said._

_The two of them followed the fresh trail of crimson and walked deeper inside. They didn't walk far until a figure appeared from a distance. _

"_Kai! – Jesus Christ!"_

_Yasuo felt his entire body freeze in place, and Ichiro couldn't make a sound as they stared at what was before them. Kai knelt on the ground, his face, clothing, and hair smeared in blood, holding what was left of his mother in his arms. Ichiro turned to the body lying a few meters behind him. He could recognize that wolf anywhere. Kai's father lay motionless with a hole through his chest and what use to be his heart, in pieces between his claws. Ichiro brought his hand over his mouth and closed his eyes, trying to process the thought that his childhood friends, Kaito and Sakura, were both lying dead before him. _

_xxx_

_[Yasuo's POV]_

_I leaned against the doorway, hearing for any sound of movement inside. Father and I cleaned up the mess and brought Kai back to the mansion. He was asleep in the room and had just gone through hell –having his arm nearly torn off, witnessing his own father kill his mother right in front of him and then taking his own life after realizing what he had done – and I didn't want to wake him. I suddenly heard footsteps inside. The door opened and Kai stood on the other side, his face empty of any sign of life. _

"_Kai," I said, looking at his lifeless blue eyes. "You should stay in bed."_

_He wouldn't look up at me, as if he was so ashamed of something. _

"_Come on," I said, placing my hand on his back as I guided him back to the bed. _

_He sat down and I moved over to the burning fireplace and warmed my hands a little. Then I walked back next to him. I looked at him then at his left arm, completely bandaged from the tips of his fingers to his shoulder. _

"_You want something to eat? It'll help you heal faster," I asked. _

_He didn't answer. I placed my hands in my pockets and looked down at the wooden floor for a moment. _

"_Well, if you need anything, I'll be outside," I said. _

_Before I walked out, he suddenly spoke._

"_What did you guys do with the bodies?" _

_I turned around. He was staring out the window. _

"_We buried them." _

_He brought his arm up, and looked at the overlapping bandages. _

"_Kai…" I closed my mouth, wondering if it was appropriate for me to say it. "I'm so sorry…" _

_He didn't say anything and I didn't want to bother him any longer, so I walked out, closing the door behind me. _

_Father and I had already called Naomi and the others. Their trip would have to be cut short. _

_xxx_

"_Yasuo."_

_I opened my eyes. I was sleeping on the couch and father was standing next to me. _

"_What is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. _

"_The rest of your pack will be arriving soon." _

"_What did you tell them?"_

"_I didn't tell them anything. Only that they were to return back immediately."_

_I leaned forward, my elbows resting on my knees. _

"_Then what are we going to say?" I asked. _

"_Nothing," a voice cut in._

_We turned around and saw Kai standing by the stairs, just as lifeless as before. The blood soaked through his bandages, giving it a moist appearance. _

"_Kaito," my father bowed his head a little._

"_Don't ever call me that," he said coldly. "I don't ever want to hear that name again."_

_My father was startled by his sudden response. _

"_When the others arrive, just tell them that it was an accident, nothing more." _

_He then turned around and went back upstairs. I followed after him. _

"_Why was he being like this?" I thought to myself. "Why was he trying to pretend like it didn't happen?"_

"_Kai," I called._

_He stopped in front of the door and turned around. His eyes were so emotionless that I could hardly recognize him. I opened my mouth to try to comfort him, to do what a good friend would do, but I didn't. _

"_Listen. I know you've been through a lot but…keeping it all inside and pretending like nothing's happened isn't going to make the pain go away." _

"_I'm fine," was all he said before walking into his room and shutting the door in my face._

_Kai was always the quieter one in our group. He always thought that his problems were 'his' problems. But he was still open with me and the others, only us. I could tell that after what happened, things weren't going to be the same with him. Not anymore. _

_-End of flashback-_

The three of them all refused to look each other in the eye, shocked by what they heard. None of them had any idea what really happened. All they knew before was that Kai's parents were killed in an accident, but they never got the details and Kai never told them. Whatever the event was, its effects were obvious. Ever since that day, he distanced himself from the group. They never understood why, but now they knew. They knew why he was always so scared to _let go_.

"That's why he never talks about his father, why he tells us not to call him by his actual name, and why he's so much more concerned with his feelings than any of us…He doesn't want to become like his father," Yasuo finished.

"When we were in the woods, was that what you meant by "him", his father?" Akio asked.

Yasuo nodded.

"I know he told you not to, but why didn't you still try to tell us before?" Naomi asked.

"I don't know," he replied, looking down at the fire again. "I thought it was best to leave it in the past and not bring it up. I guess that was a mistake on my part."

Katashi combed his fingers through his short hair, pulling at it somewhat.

He then opened his mouth slightly and said, "I never knew he kept so much from us."

"He probably didn't want us to worry so much over him," Akio responded, looking over at the clock on top of the fireplace.

"Come on guys. Class exchange is in ten minutes. We should get going."

"What about Kai?" Katashi asked.

"We'll probably see him later," Yasuo said. "Seeing what happened, I don't think the Chairman will let him just pack up and leave like that."

They agreed and took their books and coats as they moved together to the front of the house. The doorknob turned as Akio reached for it and the door opened with Kai standing on the other side, wearing the Day Class uniform.

"Kai…" Naomi couldn't even finish her sentence as she stared at him from head to toe.

"Why are you wearing the Day Class uniform?" Yasuo asked, unable to close his mouth.

Kai clenched his jaw, avoiding all their gazes but remaining apathetic as always.

"I'm not part of the Night Class anymore."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it.**


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